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Collaborative research lauded
April 25, 2008
Academic posters, articles and videos dotted the walls of the University Center’s Regency Room last Thursday. Faculty and students stood by, ready to explain the intricacies of the collaborative research projects represented.
It was all part of the third annual Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Celebration, which honored the many projects completed between students and faculty each year. Sponsored by the provost’s office, this year’s event featured 24 projects from the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences divisions and the School of Business.
Posters are an important part of the academic research process – not a diabolic plot hatched by professors to torture students, said Jill Whitman, professor of geosciences. Throughout graduate school and in future job positions, students will need to know how to layout a poster and what information to include.
“There is an art to it,” added Neal Yakelis, assistant professor of chemistry.
More importantly, poster presentations give students experience explaining their research and the processes used to colleagues and the general public. Research isn’t only about the white coats and lab work. It’s also about communicating the results, Yakelis said.
“It happens in and out of the lab,” he said. “It’s such an incredible experience, to get this experience of what the research experience is beyond PLU, to get to really delve into a problem.”
December graduate Chris Hamre returned to campus to present the project he worked on with chemistry professor Dean Waldow over two-and-a-half years. The two used dynamic light scattering and cloud point measurements to examined various polymer blends.
As part of the project, Hamre and Waldow traveled to the University of Minnesota. While there, Hamre interacted with others working in the field and got hands-on experience using high-tech equipment. He also presented his research at a national conference in New Orleans.
Now out in the “real world,” Hamre is looking for a job, and his undergraduate research experience has helped sparked interest among some employers, he said.
“It’s a good experience to have and talk to potential employers about,” Hamre said.
In attendance at the event were Naomi and Don Nothstein, who fund the Kelmer Roe Research Fellowship in the humanities. The fellowship is named for Naomi’s father, who taught Greek, religion and philosophy at PLU.
The Nothsteins like the collaborative nature of student-faculty research, and that students benefit from both the scholarly experience and the strong relationships they build with faculty members. They added it’s a necessary experience for undergraduate students planning to attend graduate school.
“To get into a good graduate school,” Don Nothstein said, naming some of the top graduate schools in the country, “to have something like this, especially if it gets published, is necessary.”
Past fellowship recipients Doug Oakman, dean of the humanities division, and alumnus Ronan Rooney recently accomplished that feat: the paper the two co-authored examining the origins of a missing gospel was recently published.
University Communications staff writer Megan Haley compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact her at ext. 8691 or at haleymk@plu.edu. Photo by University Photographer Jordan Hartman.
Posters are an important part of the academic research process – not a diabolic plot hatched by professors to torture students, said Jill Whitman, professor of geosciences. Throughout graduate school and in future job positions, students will need to know how to layout a poster and what information to include.
“There is an art to it,” added Neal Yakelis, assistant professor of chemistry.
More importantly, poster presentations give students experience explaining their research and the processes used to colleagues and the general public. Research isn’t only about the white coats and lab work. It’s also about communicating the results, Yakelis said.
“It happens in and out of the lab,” he said. “It’s such an incredible experience, to get this experience of what the research experience is beyond PLU, to get to really delve into a problem.”
December graduate Chris Hamre returned to campus to present the project he worked on with chemistry professor Dean Waldow over two-and-a-half years. The two used dynamic light scattering and cloud point measurements to examined various polymer blends.
As part of the project, Hamre and Waldow traveled to the University of Minnesota. While there, Hamre interacted with others working in the field and got hands-on experience using high-tech equipment. He also presented his research at a national conference in New Orleans.
Now out in the “real world,” Hamre is looking for a job, and his undergraduate research experience has helped sparked interest among some employers, he said.
“It’s a good experience to have and talk to potential employers about,” Hamre said.
In attendance at the event were Naomi and Don Nothstein, who fund the Kelmer Roe Research Fellowship in the humanities. The fellowship is named for Naomi’s father, who taught Greek, religion and philosophy at PLU.
The Nothsteins like the collaborative nature of student-faculty research, and that students benefit from both the scholarly experience and the strong relationships they build with faculty members. They added it’s a necessary experience for undergraduate students planning to attend graduate school.
“To get into a good graduate school,” Don Nothstein said, naming some of the top graduate schools in the country, “to have something like this, especially if it gets published, is necessary.”
Past fellowship recipients Doug Oakman, dean of the humanities division, and alumnus Ronan Rooney recently accomplished that feat: the paper the two co-authored examining the origins of a missing gospel was recently published.
University Communications staff writer Megan Haley compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact her at ext. 8691 or at haleymk@plu.edu. Photo by University Photographer Jordan Hartman.