Undergraduate Research Showcase

On April 30, College of Computing and Informatics (CCI) students, faculty and administration gathered for a first-ever public presentation of undergraduate research projects. On display were the contributions of undergraduates to nine ongoing research projects with applications from the textile industry and online retail to smart home technology and data storage.

Each of the student presenters lauded the value of participating in research, believing it broadened their horizons and expanded the scope of their learning to include real-world issues and solutions.

CCI’s Dean, Chairs, and Faculty are eager to shape undergraduate research into a significant component of the undergraduate experience.

Assistant SIS Professor, Nicholas Davis, took the lead and organized the showcase.

“Undergraduate research is important because it provides a different type of educational experience for students that goes deeper into a specific domain than what can be covered in courses. It exposes students to another side of academia and helps them understand what continuing their education into graduate school might look like,” Davis says.

The benefits are well established and are the force behind CCI’s commitment to expanding its undergraduate research program.

“[It] helps students learn technical skills, form strong relationships within the academic community, and gain valuable experience to prepare them for their career,” Davis says. “Faculty benefit from undergraduate research through increased productivity on their projects, expanding the impact of those projects to educating students, and disseminating the work to the local community through student presentations.

“Undergraduate research helps CCI create a vibrant and lively community of scholars working on high impact projects. This culture of research helps students form an academic identity that can improve student outcomes, including increasing retention and graduation rates.”

Congratulations – and thank you – to the students and advisors listed below. The success of this, the inaugural Undergraduate Research Showcase, has set a high standard for future exhibits.

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