It was an impressive display of scholarship April 26 at the Bond Life Sciences Center: Row after row of research posters — more than 175 in all — filled the McQuinn Atrium, so many that organizers had to split them into two sessions.
Research topics covered everything from highway work zone speed limits to the genetics of Missouri River otters to thermal imaging of defects in concrete. And the topics weren’t limited to science and engineering; they ran the gamut of academic disciplines from psychology and personal finance to journalism and English and everything in between.
All that research was not conducted by veteran MU faculty members and scientists. It was the annual campus celebration of undergraduate research, called the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum. The event’s purpose is to provide a venue for students to present their scholarly research projects to the campus community and the public.
The event was also an opportunity to celebrate the contributions that faculty mentors make in enriching students’ experiences.
The scope of those undergraduate research opportunities is one of the things that sets Mizzou apart from other large research universities, says Linda Blockus, director of MU’s Office of Undergraduate Research.