UM Students to Present Research at Capitol for Posters in the Rotunda

Four University of Mississippi students are among undergraduates from all eight of the state’s public universities who will share their research and creative activities on topics ranging from health care to cultural heritage to environmental issues with legislators and state leaders at Posters in the Rotunda.

The event is set for 7:30-9:30 a.m. Thursday (March 23) in the rotunda of the state Capitol. The students will show how their research addresses some of Mississippi’s most pressing problems.

The event provides opportunities for legislators to visit with students from their districts, allows students to network with one other as they learn about work on other campuses, and showcases cutting-edge research conducted by undergraduates that benefits the entire state and its residents.

“Posters in the Rotunda epitomizes both the diversity and high quality of the scholarship being done by students and their faculty mentors,” said Marie Danforth, chair of the steering committee for the Drapeau Center for Undergraduate Research at the University of Southern Mississippi and coordinator of the event.

“This year, we’ve been able to expand the event to include more undergraduates from each university. Two students representing Mississippi INBRE, a statewide program focusing on biomedical research, are also participating.”

Ole Miss students participating in the event are:

  • Jarett Bell, presenting “Evaluating the Land Use Land Cover Change in the Coastal Watersheds of Mississippi”
  • Nathaniel Greene, “Giving Wings But Keeping Them Clipped: The Relationship Between Overprotective Parenting and Student Psychological Well-Being During the Transition to College”
  • Heather Poole, “Improving Health of Rural Mississippians through Farmers’ Markets”
  • Sarah Sutton, “Spectroscopic and Computational Study of Chlorine Dioxide/Water Interactions”

Modeled after the Posters on the Hill event in which students from across the country share their work in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., the Posters in the Rotunda event is similar to ones in 17 other states.

“I am so pleased that the Posters in the Rotunda event has been expanded to include even more students for its second year,” said Glenn Boyce, commissioner of higher education. “This is an excellent program that highlights the value of undergraduate research and the impact university research has on solving Mississippi’s most pressing problems.

“Participating in undergraduate research projects provides a great experience for the students, strengthening their academic, leadership and presentation skills and preparing them for research on the graduate level.”

More information on the Posters in the Rotunda event is available at http://postersintherotundams.org.