Student represents UAA in Washington D.C.

UAA student Reem Sheikh and Dr. Carol Jones will visit Washington D.C. this week to present Reem's research poster on Capitol Hill.  The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) will welcome nearly 80 undergraduate students from across the nation to Capitol Hill to present the results of their independent research in science, mathematics and humanities.  They will display their research posters to Members of Congress, federal agency funding officers, and invited guests in Rooms 338-B - 340-B of the Rayburn House Office Building from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.  The press is invited to meet the students and view the posters.

The students were competitively chosen from just under four hundred applicants.  Their research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and many other agencies --- federal, state, and private.
 
The nation's technological infrastructure requires well-trained scientists and engineers, but studies show that the number of students selecting these fields will not keep up with demand.  Participation in research projects represents one of the most effective ways of engaging students actively in the learning process and a significant majority of students electing to pursue advanced degrees in the physical and life sciences engage in undergraduate research.  Students participating in original research projects graduate from college at higher rates than those who do not. Posters on the Hill offers students the opportunity to share their personal
stories and the excitement of their discoveries with members of Congress and professional scientists. Students spend the day visiting the offices of their elected representatives and the large majority meet with one or more Representatives or Senators.  The day concludes with a poster session attended by members of Congress, their staffs, and personnel from federal funding agencies. This year the Council on Undergraduate Research and the American Chemical Society are collaborating by jointly hosting CUR's Posters
on the Hill and ACS's Public Service Award. ACS will be honoring Rueben Hinojosa (D-TX), David Hobson (R-OH), and Dr. Ralph Cicerone, Director of the National Academies of Science.
 
"Posters on the Hill is one of CUR's signature events, showcasing the high quality research undergraduates are capable of producing with faculty mentors.  The creative process is fundamental to our nation's history of innovation; thus, providing opportunities for undergraduate research, resulting in original creative and/or intellectual contributions, should be a high priority of our higher education institutions, as well as federal and private funding agencies," says Lori Bettison-Varga, College of Wooster.

CUR is a national professional association representing faculty and administrators at nearly 1000 academic institutions. CUR, and our
governmental and private partners, facilitates collaborative research by students and their faculty mentors.  We work to provide students with a wide range of opportunities to learn science by doing it.  We provide faculty with opportunities to integrate research into their teaching.  Students with research experience as undergraduates go on to leadership positions throughout our society.