2008 Conference Program (PDF) | Schedule (PDF)
Conference Proceedings (PDF)
Picture Gallery at Picasa
The 2008 Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposium was held on April 26, 2008 at the Hermann Union Building (3241 S. Federal Street, Chicago, IL 60616) on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology on April 26, 2008. Over 120 undergraduates from all six institutions presented 107 research projects as poster presentations and 16 oral presentations in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, social sciences, psychology, humanities, engineering, mathematics, and economics. These projects spanned a wide range of subfields, from theoretical physics to behavioral ecology to Mexican indigenous history to aerospace engineering to neurovirology to mental health care. Many faculty members from the participating institutions generously donated their time to judge these poster and oral presentations.
Carlo Segre, Ph.D, Associate Dean for Special Projects of the IIT Graduate College, gave the opening address to begin the conference. Oral presentations were held simulataneously in 4 different rooms, followed by lunch. During lunch, over 10 different graduate and medical schools in the area had information tables set up with representatives available to answer questions, in addition to a short informational session by Dr. Larry Tobacman of UIC’s MD-PhD program. After poster presentations in the afternoon, the engaging research lecture was given by Dr. Eric Brey, Ph.D, Assistant Dean of the IIT Office of Undergraduate Research and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering. After a banquet dinner, the fascinating keynote speech was given by Chef Ben Roche, Pastry Chef of Moto Restaurant and Director of Research and Development for Cantu Designs.Many faculty members from the participating institutions generously donated their time to judge these poster and oral presentations.
- Speakers -
Our opening address was given by Carlo Segre, PhD., the Associate Dean for Special Projects of the Graduate College of IIT and Professor of Physics. He received his B.S. in physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his Ph.D. in physics at the University of California, San Diego. His postdoctorate work was done with Professor Mark Croft at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He has been on the IIT faculty since 1983 with a one-year sabbatical in Trieste, Italy at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics. He has over 70 referred publications and is a member of several professional societies including the American Physical Society, the American Association of the Advancement of Science, and Sigma Xi. His research interests center around the structure and electronic properties of complex materials including superconducting, magnetic and catalytic materials.
Our featured keynote speaker was Chef Ben Roche. Chef Roche is the pastry chef for Moto Restaurant in Chicago and the director of research and development for Cantu Designs. Twenty-three year old Roche works alongside Postmodern culinary star Chef Homaro Cantu to employ technology such as lasers, liquid nitrogen, and alginate powders to construct a new dessert movement in American cuisine. With training from Johnson & Wales, a pastry shop in Providence, Rhode Island, and a hotel in Hook, England, Roche leads diners beyond the known limits of taste, texture, and technique, creating Caesar salad pureed and freeze-dried into pellets, edible menus, fizzy grapes, and various other dishes created using innovative molecular gastronomy techniques. Catch a taste of Chef Roche's Banana's Foster Cocktail here.
Our research speaker was Eric M. Brey, Ph.D., assistant dean of the IIT Office of Undergraduate Research and assistant professor of biomedical engineering. His research interests include neovascularization in regenerative medicine and diabetes, tissue engineering, cell-matrix interactions, and vascular imaging. He has been a contributor to dozens of publications and books including Principles of Regenerative Medicine and Principles of Tissue Engineering. His accolades include a 2007 Coleman Faculty Scholar and a 2004 International Society of Applied Cardiovascular Biology Young Investigator Award.
