MTSU undergrad researchers to showcase hard work at Nov. 9 open house

Middle Tennessee State University’s Undergraduate Research Center will host its 6th annual Open House research and creative activity presentation event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Science Building on campus. All students are welcome to attend. (MTSU graphic illustration by Stephanie Wagner)

Middle Tennessee State University’s Undergraduate Research Center is gearing up for its sixth annual Open House event set to be packed with presentations from STEM research to creative projects, information about all the center’s services and a complimentary lunch.

“The Open House is a wonderful opportunity to engage with current student researchers from a wide variety of academic disciplines,” said Jamie Burriss, the center’s director and program manager for the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. “From geosciences, health and human performance to dance and theatre, media arts and biology, just to name a few.”

Dr. Jamie Burriss

Burriss said all students, particularly new and creative students, are welcome to attend the free event on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second floor atrium of the Science Building on campus. Burriss added those who plan to attend should register at https://tinyurl.com/2xeyf4mr.

The purpose of the Open House is not only to give researchers another presentation opportunity, said Burriss, but to expose attendees to the scope and variety of undergraduate research and creative activity happening at MTSU.

Attendees can learn about these opportunities through listening to presentations; asking the presenters questions about getting started in research, faculty mentorship, balancing coursework with research and more; and having access to members of the center’s undergraduate research club, the Student Organization for the Advancement of Research, or SOAR.

Attendees can also learn about MTSU’s Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity grant, more commonly known as URECA, that students can earn to get paid for their research work as well as the multiple travel and conference opportunities coordinated by the center every year.

“These students have contributed to their academic disciples in innovative ways and are strengthening their communication skills by sharing their research with our MTSU community,” Burriss said. “It’s a great experience for both the presenters and attendees.”

Learn more about opportunities at the Undergraduate Research Center at https://www.mtsu.edu/urc/index.php.

— Stephanie Wagner (Stephanie.Wagner@mtsu.edu)