News and Announcements
May 2009
Undergraduate Research Summer Workshop Schedule:
UROP Opening Ceremony
Friday, June 5
10:00 – 11:00 am, FH 106
Ethics in Research
Thursday, June 11
John Cushman, Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
FH 106, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Workshop on Application to Graduate/Professional School
Thursday, June 18
Pat Wilson, Coordinator, Graduate School Planning
FH 106, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Public Speaking
Thursday, June 25
Candice Bauer
FH, 106, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Research Poster Presentation
Wednesday, July 29
John Cushman, Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
FH 106, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
UROP Poster Session
Thursday, August 13
HREL 109 & 110, 3:00 - 4:30 pm
April 2009
UROP Awards
The UNR & UNLV NSF-EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Programs recently awarded grants of up to $5,500 to 16 students to conduct research on topics in science and engineering during the summer of 2009. Under direction of a faculty mentor, students will carry out research and potentially will come up with publishable papers and presentations. Students will also present their work at a poster session in August 2009. Several enrichment workshops are organized for the recipients of the award this summer by the UNR Office of Undergraduate Research. For more information on the program visit www.unr.edu/undergraduateresearch/epscor-summer.html.
GURA Awards
The UNR Office of Undergraduate Research recently awarded grants of up to $1,200 to 24 students to conduct research on topics ranging from arts to criminal justice and physics and civil engineering. The grants were provided under the General Undergraduate Research Awards program (GURA). Under direction of a faculty mentor, students will carry out research in the course of the next 12 months and potentially will come up with publishable papers and presentations. Visit www.unr.edu/undergraduateresearch/gura.html for more information about GURA.
March 2009
Monica Miller Selected as the 2009 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor
The Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Monica Miller, an Assistant Professor of the Department of Criminal Justice at the College of Liberal Arts, as the 2009 recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor Award. With support from the Office of Vice President for Research, this award aims at recognizing the dedication and enthusiasm of faculty who extensively nurture undergraduate researchers in their research projects. More information about the award is posted at
http://www.unr.edu/undergraduateresearch/outstanding-mentor.html
Prof. Miller joined the Department of Criminal Justice at UNR in July 2004. She received her B.A., M.A., and PhD. from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1998, 2002, and 2004, respectively. She also received a J.D. degree from UNL in 2002. Her research and teaching interest include social psychology, legal decision making, family law, and development of policies on well being. Dr. Miller has mentored 32 undergraduate students in the past four years and has been an avid supporter of providing research opportunities to undergraduates. Research by Dr. Miller and her students have led to numerous publications and poster presentations at various conferences. Let us all congratulate Dr. Miller for her achievements and extraordinary dedication to undergraduate research.
February 2009
2009 Undergraduate Research Poster Conference - March 25
November 2008
Academic Year EPSCoR Awards
UNR & UNLV recently awarded NSF-EPSCoR grants up to $4,300 to 15 students to conduct research on topics in science and engineering during the 2008/2009 academic year. Under direction of a faculty mentor, students will carry out research and potentially will come up with publishable papers and presentations. Students will also present their work at a research symposium in April 2009. For more information on the program visit http://www.unr.edu/undergraduateresearch/epscor.html
HURA Awards
The UNR Office of Undergraduate Research recently awarded grants of up to $2,000 to 24 students to conduct research on topics with a wide range including nursing, psychology, english, anthropology and political science. The grants were provided under the Honors Undergraduate Research Awards program (HURA). Under direction of a faculty mentor, students will carry out research in the course of the next 12 months and potentially will come up with publishable papers and presentations. Visit www.unr.edu/undergraduateresearch/hura.html for more information about HURA.
October 2008
A report summarizing the activities of the Office of Undergraduate Research since inception was published. We invite you to review the report - UGR Five-Year Report.
August 2008
The summer poster session for undergraduate researchers was held on August 15 with over 100 students, parents, faculty, and administrators in attendance. Twenty-eight posters were presented by students from different fields. Click here for the book of the abstracts
April 2008
2008 Nevada Undergraduate Research Symposium (NURS-08)
March 2008
2008 Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Mentor
Undergraduate Researcher wins First Prize
March 2007
UNR's first Undergraduate Research Poster Conference (URPC)
April 2006
Press Release
For immediate release: April 6, 2006
Contact: Jill Boudreaux , Media Relations Specialist
775-784-4611 , jboudreaux@unr.edu
University providing invaluable research opportunities to undergraduates
Student's educational experiences enhanced through research, while developing talent, skills for life's endeavors
Reno , Nev. - The first Nevada Undergraduate Research Symposium will take place at the University of Nevada , Reno April 12-13 at the Harry Reid Engineering Laboratory. More than 40 outstanding undergraduates from across the state, representing a variety of programs ranging from science and engineering to liberal arts and psychology will present their findings to more than 80 students and university officials.
"The University of Nevada , Reno values research as an important part of undergraduate education," said Saiid Saiidi, director, Office of Undergraduate Research, University of Nevada , Reno . Research and scholarship are precious components to any education, but Nevada is special because undergraduate scholars are being recognized for conducting noteworthy, cutting-edge research. These students are developing and pursuing new ideas in a systematic way, which enhances their ability to succeed in the workplace."
The purpose of the symposium is to provide a vehicle for undergraduate researchers to share their results with fellow students, faculty and others interested in higher education.
Undergraduate computer science student Fares Qeadan will be one of the presenters at the Symposium. He is working with two other students, Jim Motta and Siraj Malik, to develop home automation software called 'goSmart.'
Project 'goSmart' is about designing and creating an X10 interface allowing future users to wirelessly control, schedule, customize and maintain many of the appliances in their home.
"Project 'goSmart' will simplify your lifestyle, fulfilling the growing interest in Smarthomes," Qeadan said. "Going wireless and controlling devices within a house using your home computer will provide a sense of security making home management easier. This project is both an academic accomplishment and a commercial promise."
Motta said he has learned a great deal while conducting undergraduate research at the University.
"I have personally learned more than I could imagine on this project," Motta said. "Conducting research at the undergraduate level has been an invaluable experience for me, and having the opportunity to share our findings is great. The computer science professors have been very supportive of our efforts and my team is motivated to keep developing 'goSmart' after we graduate."
The symposium will include 42 oral and poster presentations, 14 of which will be by UNLV students. A book of the abstracts and a CD/ROM of accepted articles will he distributed to attendees.
The Office of Undergraduate Research opened at the University in 2003.
December 2005
Presentation on Undergraduate Research at UNR
On December 7, 2005, Dr. Saiidi presented information and opportunities for undergraduate research to 285 students in the Introduction to Engineering course.
Link to presentation.
May 2005
Undergraduate Research Data for 2004-05
A survey of the University of Nevada , Reno faculty was taken in February 2005 about undergraduate research mentorship activities. Sixty-one responses were received. Based on this survey, 220 undergraduate students were involved in research during 2004-2005. Sixty-four percent of the students were involved in funded research. The top four colleges in terms of the number of undergraduate researchers were (1) College of Agriculture , Biotechnology, and Natural Resources, (2) College of Science , (3) College of Engineering , and (4) College of Liberal Arts.