Welcome

Thanks to your efforts as student researchers and faculty mentors, undergraduate research is now recognized as one of the distinctive areas of excellence at Andrews University. Every year, students participate in research with faculty mentors, assisting in established projects or beginning new ones. This symposium is dedicated to the exhibition of such research endeavors.

Since its founding in the 1960s, the J. N. Andrews Honors Program at Andrews University has fostered enthusiastically the challenges and discoveries of undergraduate research. By means of the Honors Thesis, the Honors Program requires its students to engage in substantive primary investigations in which students take an active role in posing research questions, designing and refining methodologies, collecting data and results, and critically analyzing the significance of their conclusions.

The Undergraduate Research Scholar Award was established in 2002 to facilitate more opportunities for students to engage in research and creative scholarship in greater depth than required by their individual programs of study. The Award enables students to work closely with faculty mentors, participate in disciplinary conferences, and develop important professional skills.

The Honors Program gladly joins hands with the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship in sponsoring the annual Honors Scholars and Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium, which recognizes the achievement of Honors Thesis scholars as well as other undergraduate students engaged in substantial research projects. A team of highly engaged faculty research mentors makes possible a rigorous program of undergraduate research.

The J. N. Andrews Honors Program and Office of Research and Creative Scholarship thank heartily the Andrews University faculty members and Honors Council members who give willingly of their time and energy to support and evaluate undergraduate research. The Honors Council Members include: Sonia Badenas, Karl Bailey, Chris Bardan, James Hayward, Ante Jeroncic, Katherine Koudele, John Markovic, Beverly Matiko, Lionel Matthews, Benjamin Navia, L. Monique Pittman, David Randall, Randy Sanchez, Tiffany Summerscales, Trina Thompson, Bruce Wrenn, and Robert Zdor. We also thank our administrative assistants, Maria Sanchez-Martinez and Sarah Burton, as well as our student assistants, Alaryss Bosco and Shanelle Kim, for their hard work in helping to make this event a success.

Many thanks for working together!

 

L. Monique Pittman
Director of the J.N. Andrews Honors Program
Professor of English

 

Gary Burdick
Associate Dean for Research
Professor of Physics