USU Research Week Celebrates Students and Faculty April 12-16
Utah State University’s Office of Research will recognize the outstanding efforts of USU researchers through a virtual Research Week, April 12-16.
“Despite the numerous challenges and limitations caused by the coronavirus pandemic, our faculty and students have been resiliently conducting their research in the past year in new and innovative ways,” said Vice President for Research Lisa Berreau. “Celebrating the research and outreach conducted by our faculty and students is a highlight of our year, regardless of circumstances.”
Research Week 2021 will include four events that will take place throughout the week:
Monday, April 12 — Faculty Research Mentor Appreciation
The success of USU’s student research is dependent on the tireless care of faculty mentors. On April 12, the Office of Research encourages all graduate and undergraduate students to take a moment to thank their mentors through email, text or social media posts.
“Faculty mentors make our student research program possible, and we are thankful for their dedication and commitment to their students’ success,” said Associate Vice President for Research Alexa Sand.
Tuesday, April 13 — Faculty Author Exhibition
More than two dozen books were published by members of the USU faculty in 2020, and the 31 faculty authors will be recognized through a circular created by the Merrill-Cazier Library, which will be widely available on Digital Commons via Issuu and on the USU Research Week website. With topics ranging from cyber crime to social unrest, the books cover a wide breadth of interests, and all are encouraged to see the books that have been written and join in celebrating USU’s faculty authors.
Wednesday and Thursday, April 14-15 — Student Research Symposium
Open to any who are interested in attending, Student Research Symposium is Research Week’s flagship event and the largest showcase of student research at USU. Over two days, more than 250 undergraduate and graduate students will share their research with each other, faculty, the broader USU community, and now—due to its shift to a digital format—the world.
Utah State has recently been named one of the top universities in the United States for engagement in undergraduate research by the Council on Undergraduate Research.
“Each year, students engage in ground-breaking research and SRS provides them an opportunity to share their findings with the campus community before going on to share them in conferences and publications within their field,” said Sand. “The national award for undergraduate research came, in part, due to SRS’s year-on-year expansion and adaptation to fit student needs.”
SRS will be held this year on the online platform Symposium and is open to the general public. Presentations will be viewable on-demand beginning at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, while the student presenters will be answering questions about their research in one-hour sessions between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
Learn more about attending the event at srs.usu.edu.
Friday, April 16 — Student Research Awards Ceremony
The final event of Research Week is the Student Research Awards Ceremony, which provides the Office of Research a venue to celebrate college Undergraduate, Master’s and Doctoral Researchers of the Year. The event will further celebrate the best SRS presentations in each discipline category as determined by a panel of research, presentation, and speaking judges.
The Student Research Awards Ceremony will be held via Zoom on Friday, April 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees can RSVP to attend and celebrate USU’s student researchers at research.usu.edu/researchweek/srac/.
“I hope our USU community will join us in celebrating and honoring the research done by all of our incredible faculty and students during this year’s Research Week,” said Berreau. “Especially in a year when we don’t get to connect with our researchers in person nearly as frequently, we look forward to celebrating our collective successes.”
