Ohio Wesleyan University to Host Ohio College Research Symposium
DELAWARE, OHIO – Ohio Wesleyan University will host its sixth annual Ohio College Research Symposium on July 27, highlighting undergraduate research conducted this summer at seven Ohio-based colleges and universities.
Schools invited to attend the 2012 symposium are Denison University, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Ohio Wesleyan, and The College of Wooster (the Five Colleges of Ohio) as well as Ohio Northern University and Wittenberg University.
Students will present both oral reports and poster presentations outlining 10-week summer research projects in the fields of astronomy, computer science, mathematics/statistics, and physics. The event will include reports on seven projects conducted at Ohio Wesleyan by students visiting from eight colleges around the country, including schools in California, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The visiting students were selected from more than 300 applications nationwide to take part in Ohio Wesleyan’s National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, said Bradley R. Trees, Ph.D., director of the university’s REU program and a professor of physics and astronomy.
“There is definite interest in our research out there,” said Trees, who has directed the program since 2007, when Ohio Wesleyan received its first federal grant designating it as a national site for both REU and Research Experience for Teachers (RET) programs. The university earned a second three-year grant in 2010 and will seek renewed funding this fall.
Examples of research to be presented at the July 27 symposium include mapping the surfaces of stars, which can provide insights into how the sun and other stars may evolve; studying neutron-rich nuclei, which can shed light on how elements are formed in astrophysical reactions, and determining the shortest shared paths in graphs, which has practical applications in network routing, scheduling, and transportation networks.
This event is one of two science research symposia held annually at Ohio Wesleyan. For more than 20 years, the university also has conducted its own 10-week Summer Science Research Program to provide opportunities for Ohio Wesleyan students to conduct in-depth research with their professors in all fields of science.
Ohio Wesleyan students will present the results of their research Sept. 17 during the Patricia Belt Conrades Summer Science Research Symposium. Many students also present their findings at national professional conferences and some collaborate with professors on articles ultimately published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 47 states and 57 countries. Ohio Wesleyan was named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.