The Jackson State University Undergraduate Research Conference is to be held Thursday at the Student Center.
Starting at 8 a.m. with registration and the opening plenary session beginning at 9 a.m., the conference showcases each faculty mentor’s research project with the student researchers as the presenters, according to Edna Caston, coordinator, Center for Undergraduate Research.
“We have more than 135 students who are expected to present,” she said, including 30 posters, 19 oral presentations, four panel discussions and four interactive sessions.
As students are exposed to research in their projects, they develop fluency in the language and concepts as they are exposed for the first time to examine new ideas, new questions and unsolved problems. With this conference, students have the opportunity to broaden and deepen their research experience.
“Students who are interested in doing research should call the Center and we will pair them up with faculty who are doing research,” Caston said.
Students will be welcomed and recognized at the conference by Dr. James C. Renick, provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs; Dr. Evelyn J. Leggette, associate vice president for Academic and Student Affairs; Dr. Loretta Moore, vice president, JSU Division of Research and Federal Relations; Dr. Tor Kwembe, chair, Department of Mathematics and Statistical Sciences; Dr. Preselfannie McDaniels, associate professor of English, College of Liberal Arts; and Jasmine Nelson, member of the W.E.B. Du Bois Honors College.
The conference will feature remarks by Dr. Robert Blaine, dean of Undergraduate Studies and CyberLearning. The introduction of new technology has greatly expanded research opportunities. Central to this are the INNOVATE and CREATE spaces within the H.T. Sampson Library that use technology to enhance student success and allow for collaboration among faculty.
The Center in collaboration with the Summer Bridge Program and the Richard Wright Center have incorporated a research component into the activities of incoming freshman to introduce them to various components of research that rely on new technologies.
As a result of its success in cyberlearning, Jackson State was named an Apple Distinguished School for 2013-15, one of only a handful in the nation.
For more information, contact Caston at 601-979-0839 or
edna.e.caston@jsums.edu or see the Center’s webpage: https://www.jsums.edu/cur/