On Thursday, August 4th, over 40 undergraduate students attended the 13th Northeast Ohio Undergraduate Research Symposium (NOURS) hosted by the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering (CPSPE). Students from The University of Akron, Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University, and NASA Glenn Research Center were in attendance and participated in this event.
During the symposium, interns shared their incredible experiences, appreciation, and valuable connections. They also displayed their knowledge and growth within the polymer field through student talks and poster presentations centered on their research.
The event was also the culmination of CPSPE student interns’ work as part of the 2016 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. The objective of the eleven week internship was to provide undergraduate students with high quality experiences and one-of-a-kind opportunities. During the program, interns participated in career development opportunities, research activities, discussions outlining their research progress, and even visited regional companies and a national laboratory.
This year’s REU program was a huge success, demonstrated by the education and experiences shared at the symposium and the positive comments received from REU interns. Emily Ann Gerstein (pictured on right) shared this about the symposium and REU program: “The University of Akron REU program has provided me the opportunity to become involved in research outside of the work that I normally do at my home institution, therefore allowing me to gain skills necessary for potentially collaborating with different groups in the future. It has also allowed me to expand my critical thinking and problem solving skills, gain a significant amount of knowledge about different modeling techniques, and solidified for me that I want to further my education to include doctoral work. Having participated in NOURS in many ways drives home the REU experience, where students are actively participating in oral, poster and written representations of their work as well as receiving networking opportunities with faculty and students from other prominent Ohio-based universities and institutions. It serves as a helpful stepping stone into professional communication skills for undergraduate students in that regard.” Jason Ewing, another REU participant, said “Real world application is so important in today's world and the REU program gives you the experience and knowledge to succeed in research.”
Congratulations students and faculty advisors on a fantastic symposium and summer of research!