by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
Student Lance Edens didn't know students were being judged at a research symposium on Wednesday.
He realized that after he won the grand prize of $500.
"I'm floored," he said.
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Edens was among about 80 students participating in the PROFOUND Undergraduate Research symposium.
Edens, also awarded best of in the field of physical science and engineering, conducted an analysis of the hydrogen gas distribution in the galaxy HIZSS 3. He used radio frequency to observe the galaxy, he said.
He will use his research for his senior thesis, he said.
Theresa L¢pez, symposium coordinator, said the event helps students sharpen their research skills by having professionals critique their work.
"You can have a car salesmen critique your work, but they're not going to know as much as a biochemist if it has to do with biochemistry," she said. "Students need to have judges who know what they're talking about."
A mix of graduate students and professors from all departments on campus helped judge the competition, she said.
Students of all majors were able to participate in the symposium, but it was separated into four categories: biology and life science, social science, humanities, and physical science and engineering.
Twenty monetary prizes were given to students, including four awards in the best of category and one grand prize.
Students who won in the best of category are also nominated to participate in a national research symposium, L¢pez said.
L¢pez said the number of students participating in the symposium increases every year.
The majority of the students researched individually, she said, but some conducted group research.
Student Maria Cooper did her research on how the media has represented HIV/AIDS since becoming well-known in the 1980s.
Cooper said people largely associated HIV/AIDS with homosexuals and African-Americans in the 1980s.
She could not find much material in the mainstream media on African-American women with HIV/AIDS.
"It spoke volumes in regards to black women being disembodied in the media," she said.
She would like to change that with her research, she said.
L¢pez said the symposium is different from the creativity and research symposium in the fall, because the fall symposium usually attracts more freshman students.
Students in the fall symposium can further work on their research to put it in the symposium in the spring, she said.
L¢pez said in the future she would like the symposium to be a three-day event.
