Discovery Park Undergraduate Research Day to highlight how students can connect with faculty-led projects

March 13, 2015  


WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University undergraduate students participate in more than 2,000 research projects each year across campus. To showcase what new opportunities are available for enterprising students, Discovery Park will offer Undergraduate Research Day on March 25 for learning about upcoming research projects.

More than a dozen faculty members will highlight their research and talk about undergraduate student involvement as a focal point of Undergraduate Research Day. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., tables will be arranged around the perimeter of the Venture Café in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship with detailed information about the projects.

Additionally, representatives from the Discovery Park Undergraduate Research Internships program, Interns for Indiana, Certificate for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, and the Honors College will be available to discuss research matters with students.

"Participation in a research project engages students in the creation of knowledge, helps them understand the rigors essential to work with faculty and expands their education significantly," said Candiss Vibbert, associate director for the Discovery Park Office of Engagement. "We hope Undergraduate Research Day in Discovery Park will spark increased student interest in research and connect them with exciting projects through Discovery Park."

Undergraduate research projects available to students cover all disciplines and explore topics that have the potential for major impact in all sectors.  

The first 125 undergraduate students to attend will receive a free lunch. Tours of Birck Nanotechnology Center and Bindley Bioscience Center will be available during the event. The featured research projects to be discussed are:

* Micro/nanoscale 3D Printing Using Laser - Xianfan Xu and Anurup Datta.

* Sleep Quality During Pregnancy: Impacts on Breastfeeding Success - Azza Ahmed, Theresa Casey, Lingsong Zhang, David Haas and Kinga Szucs.

* Tools to Calculate how Special Emitters and Wavelengths Improve Thermal Spectrum and Photon Recycling - Peter Bermel.

* Evaluating Wellness Program Impact on Health Outcomes - Bart Collins, Heather Fedesco, Wan Jiang and Yao Tang.

* Impact of Patient Self-Management Interventions on Health and Healthcare Outcomes - Bart Collins, Heather Fedesco, Wan Jiang and Yao Tang.

* GIS Mapping-Ancient Turkey - Nicholas Rauh.

* Transitions in Care-Evaluate Impact of Direct Messaging - Yeuhwern Yih and Steve Witz.

* Analyzing the Impact of Wellness Coaching on Participant Health - Bart Collins.

* Impact of Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs on Patient Empowerment, Bart Collins.

* Scanning Probe Microscopy Development for Life Sciences - Helen McNally, Yen Hseu, Aaron Hoover and Francisco Saldana.

* Visualizing Wikipedia Contributions - Sorin Matei.

* Antimicrobial Nano-emulsions as Post-Harvest Produce Sanitizer to Extend Shelf Life - Jianming Li.

Discovery Park, which was launched by Purdue in 2001, reached the $1 billion milestone this year for the amount of generated sponsored research, private gifts and endowments. Researchers are tackling challenges in areas ranging from energy, cancer treatment, nanotechnology, drug discovery and the environment to health care, life sciences, and innovative learning in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics

More than 1,000 faculty members, working with 300 graduate students, are engaged in the park, helping generate nearly 25 percent of Purdue's entire annual research portfolio. In addition, 200,500 hours of work have been provided by 540 students at 190 Indiana startup companies through Interns for Indiana. And more than 5,000 students have participated in entrepreneurial activities since Discovery Park's inception, including 1,300 students who have received the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Writers: Paige Pope, 765-494-2083, popep@purdue.edu

Phillip Fiorini, 765-496-3133, pfiorini@purdue.edu 

Source: Candiss Vibbert, 765-494-9404, vibbert@purdue.edu 

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