We welcome students, parents, prospective students, professors, alumni, local high school representatives and corporate friends to share in this full day of exciting presentations.
“This symposium was designed to honor the achievements of our incredibly talented and dedicated student body,” says Ian Gatley, dean of the College of Science. “It also recognizes RIT’s continued commitment to developing cutting edge research opportunities for our students with the ultimate goal of producing our next generation of outstanding scientists.”
“I am always amazed at the variety of topics presented and the breadth and depth of subjects covered,” adds Terence Morrill, chair of the department of chemistry and symposium director. “These projects give our students tremendous real world research experience and an opportunity to showcase their achievements before future employers and colleagues.”
“We want to encourage our students to research. Our goal is to create an aptitude for our students in their chosen profession, and undergraduate research helps pave the way for further growth,” says Kalathur Santhanam, the director of RIT’s Center for Materials Science and Engineering and the coordinator of the symposium.
Third-year biochemistry major Gina Lein believes that the research she ’s working on will not only boost her résumé, but it also has the potential to directly affect people’s lives.
“This has helped me to realize that I can use my knowledge of chemistry to help people with diabetes.”
Lein is researching ways for diabetics to self-test their urine for acetone—a chemical believed to be a cause of diabetic comas. She hopes that her research will eventually make its way into the homes of diabetics.
History The Undergraduate Research Symposium was founded to honor student achievement in scientific research and to further RIT’s goal of combining traditional laboratory work and classroom instruction with experiential learning. The symposium now hosts over 40 presentations a year and includes representatives from industry leaders including Eastman Kodak and Xerox.
The all-day event recognizes the outstanding research of students in numerous colleges at RIT, and presentations are made in a number of fields from polymer chemistry and material science to microelectronics and imaging science. Students work with faculty members to develop and execute their projects and will use the results for future studies in their fields.
