Annual UA Competition to Present an Eclectic Array of Presentations April 10

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Three Treatments of the German Chorale Tune “Schmücke dich, O Liebe Seele,” and “Relationships with Algae: Sweethearts, Swingers, or Cheaters?” are just two examples from The University of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences’ upcoming Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Oral or Poster Presentation Competition.

The presentations, which are free and open to the public, will be April 10 from 3-6 p.m. in the Heritage Room in the Ferguson Center on UA campus.

Undergraduates representing all divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences – the humanities and fine arts, the natural sciences and mathematics, and the social sciences – will present their research and creative works. This year’s competition, the third annual, includes 86 presentations and 105 participants.

Projects range from composing original works of music, to conducting original historical and cultural research, to designing and performing experiments in scientific labs. The purpose of the competition is to showcase these undergraduate research or creative projects and give students practical experience in defending or performing their work before judges.

“Our faculty know that hands-on learning in the laboratory, the studio, or in the archives stimulates the spirit of discovery and opens the mind to new vistas in learning. My heartfelt thanks to each mentor who worked with a presenter on a research or creative project,” said Jimmy Williams, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and coordinator of the event.

First, second and third place prizes will be given in each competition and in each of the college’s three divisions. The first place prize is $250; second place will win $100; and third place winner $50. Faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences will judge the projects.

The projects include 48 from the natural sciences and mathematics division, 29 from the social sciences division and nine from the humanities and fine arts division.

Other examples of works to be displayed include projects titled “Biologically in Love,” “Inside the Leakey Cauldron: Harry Potter Fan Culture,” “We-Self: Exploring the Bond Between Humans and Nature,” “Chopping and Band-Aiding DNA to Cure Unknown Biodiversity” and “A Herpetological Survey of Selected Oak-Hickory Stands in the Longleaf Ecosystem of the Talladega National Forest” among many others.

“The College of Arts and Sciences is proud of the many undergraduates who have chosen to present their investigations. Our goal is to increase the size of the competition each year. I congratulate each participant for their exceptional work and look forward to seeing their academic journey continue to unfold during their undergraduate years in the College,” said Williams.

The College of Arts and Sciences is Alabama’s largest liberal arts college and the University’s largest division with 350 faculty and 6,600 students.