From caterpillars and video games to genocide and development, students, faculty, and administrators came together on Saturday for a full schedule of presentations at the fourth annual undergraduate research symposium.
With 40 students from 14 different departments, the event had largest number of presenters in its history and marked the first time that social sciences projects outnumbered biological sciences. It is Tufts' relatively small size that affords students such extraordinary opportunities for research, according to senior and event organizer Brad Crotty.
"Our school is unique in that it is the smallest university of its size to be recognized as 'Research I,'" he said. "This top-level rating shows the dedication of our school to scholarly pursuits and provides excellent opportunities to students looking to gain experience."
In her keynote address, Robin Kanarek - the newly appointed Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences - focused on research opportunities for undergraduates, including her own work. Kanarek said that undergraduate research can be a memorable part of the college experience as well as giving students an edge in job applications and graduate school.
"I believe this is a really important event and one that should be enthusiastically encouraged by Tufts," she said. "The development of research and scholarship should be an integral part of undergraduate education."
Kanarek said that sometimes the best results are the ones the researcher doesn't expect. Reminiscing about her first attempt at research as a ten-year-old, Kanarek said her experiment to find a one-to-one relationship between corn kernels and popcorn had an unexpected result.
"For the next five years wherever there was a fire in the neighborhood my friends and family would ask, 'Where's Robin?" she said, referring to fire she caused in that first attempt. Kanarek also told the story of a lab experiment where an unexpected result with rats led to a grant, and pointed out that a different result is not necessarily a bad thing.
"Its important to remember that if your results don't fit your hypothesis it doesn't mean your research is wrong or ill conceived," she said. "[It's a chance] to discover something new, to challenge yourself further."
Kanarek, who has been researching for 25 years, said she appreciates the scholar-teacher persona that the University encourages and that undergraduate research allows even more opportunities for professor-student relationships. She said that faculty members really appreciate, "the student's willingness to contribute their ideas to research."
She said that students also find the research valuable because "it allows you to leave Tufts with something that you own."
Senior Nicole Bores, whose research focused on rural development in Uganda, commented on the diversity of views represented by the students. "Its really nice to see how many people are presenting," she said.
Another senior, Jaime Carlson, said she thought the opportunities for research could be better publicized. "I don't think professors stress it enough," Carlson said. "I think by having the research symposium it opens up opportunities."
Kanarek, however, said that she felt a lot of students could enjoy research opportunities. "All of us who like to solve puzzles; that's what research is," she said.
