by Karina Guzzi
Daily Lobo
Student Mack Neal won one of 10 $150 research stipends with his research on advertising effects on multiracial and biracial communities at the undergraduate research symposium on Wednesday.
"I decided to enter and got lucky," Neal said.
Chloe Peterson, a geology major, won the grand prize, a Dell laptop, with her research on gravity and flexure models. She said she received a lot of support from professors.
Theresa L¢pez, program coordinator, said 53 posters were presented at the event.
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Research projects were on science and humanities topics.
Duncan said having humanities researchers present was important, because science projects usually get more money for research.
L¢pez said one of the reasons both speakers at the event are related to humanities was to try to be open to humanities research. She said some people don't realize they can do research in humanities.
"The problem with research is that people think it is in a lab," L¢pez said. "Right now it is mostly science, but it's changing."
Judge Lorna Joachim, adjunct assistant professor for psychology, said they chose the winners based on the methods used for research, logical flow of presentation and originality.
"What separated the winners from anyone else was originality," Joachim said. "And the wow factor - and there was a number of those."
Rob Duncan, associate dean for research at the College of Arts and Sciences, said presenters prepared posters with the help of a professor.
Duncan started the symposium about a year ago with interim provost Reed Dasenbrock. He said the symposium is designed to encourage undergraduate research.
"It is a natural way to include students in our research mission," Duncan said. "In class, students are asked to give the answers. Here they are asked to question the answers."
Neal said the symposium is beneficial because UNM is a research-based university, and he is able to work on what he likes.
"I'm working on my master's thesis now," Neal said. "You get to work on what you really enjoy doing instead of what's in the curriculum. It gives you good skills."
L¢pez said she wants students to know they can do research even if they are undergraduate students.
"We want students to realize they don't have to only read books and go to class," L¢pez said. "They have the option to work with world-renowned professors."
She said people need to get used to working with undergraduates because they can do research just like graduate students do.
Gwyneth Sprouls won one of three $200 prizes for best in the division with her research on a rare eye and throat disease. She said she presented her research because she is excited about it, but she didn't realize how hard it would be.
"If I knew how much work was involved, I would've said no," Sprouls said. "But it was worth all the work. Even if I hadn't won, I'd say that."
This was the second research symposium at UNM.
