The second annual Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposium (CAURS) involving the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Loyola University Chicago DePaul University, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Northwestern University took place on Saturday, April 1, 2006 at the beautiful Cultural Center in downtown Chicago. This stimulating day-long event provided an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students, faculty, alumni, and the Chicago research community to actively participate in the support of undergraduate research.
This year we were proud to welcome for the first time student researchers, faculty, and guests from DePaul University and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Also for the first time, in addition to accepting submissions for posters and talks, we accepted submissions of research proposals and exhibits of science related artwork. The focus remains though, on presenting the impressive research being conducted by undergraduates in Chicago.
The turnout this year was impressive with over 90 students presenting their research findings through oral and poster presentations to faculty, staff, members of the Chicago research community, and their families and friends. In addition to the poster and oral presentations, students and attendees listened to a fascinating lecture on Nanotechnology (Living Devices: Integrating Cells with Electronics) by Milan Mrksich, Ph.D., a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at the University of Chicago.
Students who presented their research, and their advisors, attended the awards banquet where they enjoyed dinner and listened to an inspiring Keynote Address by Hunter O'Reilly, Ph.D., a bioartist from Loyola University Chicago.
The day perfectly reflected the six participating universities' commitment to faculty-mentored undergraduate research.
"I was really surprised by the range of research projects, from hardcore chemistry, on one hand, to ecology on the other" - Prof. Harinder Singh, University of Chicago
"This is one of the most impressive research symposiums that I've had the pleasure to attend, and I hear it's all student run--AMAZING!" - Ben Davis, Ph.D., Northwestern University
2006 Program (PDF) | Schedule (PDF)
Picture Gallery at Picasa
