MADISON, Wis. –More than 80 of the University of Wisconsin System’s best and brightest undergraduate students will fill the Capitol Rotunda this week to share original research findings with legislators, state leaders, UW alumni and supporters.
The fifth annual “Posters in the Rotunda: A Celebration of Undergraduate Research,” will take place Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. State leaders will join undergraduate students and faculty advisers from UW campuses across the state for a day of events highlighting the positive impacts of university research in Wisconsin.
“This annual event salutes the UW’s newest generation of innovative thinkers,” said UW System President Kevin P. Reilly. “UW undergraduates are contributing research that can improve health care, protect our environment, enhance education, and advance the arts and sciences. Their work is a unique component of the UW System’s robust research enterprise. Supporting this component of college education is key to Wisconsin’s future.”
A legislative symposium about the national and statewide impacts of undergraduate research will be held from 8:30-10 a.m. in Room 412 East of the State Capitol, featuring guest speaker Nancy Hensel, executive director of the Council on Undergraduate Research in Washington, D.C.. The symposium is sponsored by Joint Legislative Council co-chairs Sen. Fred Risser (D-Madison) and Rep. Steve Wieckert (R-Appleton). A short program featuring Reilly and student researchers will be held at 11:30 a.m. in the North Hearing Room.
Each year, hundreds of UW undergraduates present research findings at local, regional and national meetings, including Posters on the Hill in Washington, D.C., National Conferences on Undergraduate Research; and the UW System Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. Undergraduate research efforts are supported through grants, external funding and campus academic programs.
More information is available at http://www.wisconsin.edu/posters.