The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), along with the Research Consortium, will host the Fall Research Day on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in Sykes Student Union.
The event will start at 9:00 a.m. with a poster presentation, with a different poster presentation happening after noon. Guest speakers Dr. Rebecca Chancellor, who is part of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, and Dr. Aaron Rundus, who is part of the Department of Psychology, will be speaking around noon.
Fall Research Day is an ideal networking opportunity for students and faculty to meet and discuss research. There may be an event, similar to speed dating, where faculty members will set up a station so that students can meet them and discuss research.
ORSP is also planning to launch a student publication journal on Research Day.
Rabia Khattak, a graduate assistant for the ORSP, said, “We’re in the midst of creating a student publication journal that would provide a platform for students to publish their scholarly creative work.”
Applications for their Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) program will also be available soon and will be due by December.
It is accessible for undergraduate students, preferably in their last two years of school, to pair up with a professor of their choice to do a research project together.
The professor will be a mentor with similar interests in a field of study, and the professor will be compensated one credit hour of time for the first summer session.
About a dozen students will be selected, and those students will receive on campus housing, meals, and a stipend of $1500, as well as access to research. Those students will have the chance to present their research to the rest of the school in the fall of the following semester.
The ORSP is a resource for students and faculty as it opens many opportunities for them to incorporate into their academic careers.
They can help students find and apply for scholarships, internships, and research fellowships.
Khattak said that the ORSP could help students make sure that their resumes are “in the best condition by the time you apply for that opportunity.”
The ORSP also helps students and faculty members find funding for their research and help with finding the resources they need to receive grants. “We’re a support group,” Khattak said, and they’re a resource that can greatly assist students and faculty.
Visit their student’s page at http://www.wcupa.edu/research/students.aspx for more information about accessing scholarships, internships, fellowships and other opportunities.
Dana Perkiss is a fourth-year student majoring in English with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at DP785965@wcupa.edu.