2015 Undergraduate Research Symposium
April 30, 2015
The Undergraduate Research Symposium took place on April 14th in the Purdue Memorial Union. This event gave undergraduates an opportunity to present their research to the public. During the symposium, judges viewed the students’ posters and gave each a score. At the conclusion of the event, a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize was award for each of the divisions. These divisions included Best Abstract, College of Agriculture, College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science, College of Technology, Krannert School of Management, and the People’s Choice Awards. Seven honors students left the symposium earning an award that day.
Shovik Bandyopadhyay, a sophomore majoring in Biology, won first place in the College of Science division. His research involves looking at the altered cholesterol metabolism in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia to inhibit cancer growth.
Maggie Del Ponte and Joseph Lorenzetti represented the Honors College in the College of Engineering division by winning 1st and 3rd place respectively. Maggie, a junior studying biological engineering, presented her research dealing with muscle regeneration and tissue engineering. After experiencing the symposium event, she strongly encourages other undergraduates to get involved in research by stating:
Research is a great way to get involved academically outside of classes. It gives you realistic experiences and you learn so much that you would not learn if you just took classes. It also exposes you to many different people and helps you form relationships with people you work with.
Above: Maggie Del Ponte presents her team's research.
Senior Mary Adkins placed 1st and sophomore Lily Anderson placed 3rd in the College of Liberal Arts division while Kendal Weger took home the 2nd place prize for the College of Health and Human Sciences.
Honors College sophomore Matthew Hill presented his research on the manipulation of lignocellulosic biomass with respect to the production of biofuels. His impressive research won him 2nd place in the College of Agriculture division. Upon the conclusion of the symposium, Matthew stated:
It felt really good to win this award. Knowing that people are interested in and think that my research is valuable is a welcome feeling when I consider the future applications and directions of this research.
To view photos of Honors College students presenting their research at the symposium, view our photo gallery.
