It’s Research Week 2015!

UT research week 2015The Office of Undergraduate Research and UT Knoxville are pleased to sponsor the 6th annual Research Week from April 9-18.  This week celebrates and highlights undergraduate research and creative activities that take place across campus.

Are you an undergraduate who wants to learn about exciting research projects and opportunities?  Are you interested to see what your peers are working on?  Check out some of this week’s Research Week activities below, or visit the Research Week website.


Monday, April 13

Sigma Xi Event

Sigma Xi presents the Graduate Student Research Paper Presentation Competition.

McClung Museum Stroller Tour: Native Peoples of Tennessee

10 a.m. – 11 a.m., McClung Museum Join us for a morning out as our museum educator leads engaging gallery tours for parents and caregivers and their young ones. This month we explore the Native Peoples of Tennessee in our galleries. Pre-registration required for this free event.


Tuesday, April 14

EURēCA Awards Presentation

6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., UC Auditorium Join us as we announce the winners of the 2015 EURēCA event.  The event also includes performances by winners of the School of Music competition. Open to all faculty, students, and staff.

8th Rutledge Archaeology Lecture — Pompeii beyond the Cliches: Historic Development and Economic Activities

7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., McClung Museum Prof. Jean-Pierre Brun, Collège de France, will talk about his research at Pompeii. This lecture is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a reception.


Wednesday, April 15

National Scholarship Opportunities

4 p.m. – 5 p.m., UC 227 Nichole Fazio-Veigel, Director of  the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships, will share funding opportunities like the Goldwater, Udall, Whitaker, Fulbright and others specifically for students actively pursuing undergraduate research.

Finding Funding for Graduate School

5 p.m. – 6 p.m., UC 227 Various opportunities for financial assistance to attend graduate school will be presented by Dr. Ernest Brothers, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, in the University Center Shiloh Room. Topics include graduate research assistantships, graduate teaching assistants, and various fellowships and scholarships.


Thursday, April 16

Getting Started in Research Information Session

2 p.m. – 3 p.m., Hodges Library Did the events of the week spark a research interest? Join us for this one-hour information session and learn about undergraduate research opportunities available on and off-campus for all majors.

Graduate School Admission 101

4 p.m. – 5 p.m., UC 225 Stephanie Kit, Associate Director of Career Services, will present an informative overview of getting into graduate school.  Topics include the graduate school admission process, types of degrees, timelines, finding programs, and much more.

Undergraduate research opportunities for minorities and women in STEM

5 p.m. – 6 p.m., UC 227 This workshop highlights undergraduate research opportunities available for minorities and women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Topics will include on-campus research programs and support networks, national and international summer internships, conference opportunities, travel grants, and nationally competitive scholarships.


Friday, April 17

Volunteer Day at the Archaeological Research Lab

9 a.m. – 12 p.m. / or 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Interested in helping preserve Tennessee’s past with UT and TVA? Come join us every third Friday of the month for our Volunteer Day, where you can help us prepare artifacts for curation while learning about archaeology in TVA’s system of 49 dams in 7 states. Also enjoy a brown-bag lecture in between sessions (12 p.m. – 1 p.m.)  about recent research on the prehistory and history of the region. Seats are limited — contact Kandi Hollenbach (974-9647 or kdh@utk.edu) to sign up.

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Seminar: Jeanine Cavender-Bares, University of Minnesota

3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m., Room 307, Science & Engineering Bldg. Jeanine Cavender-Bares is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. Currently, her lab is combining phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches with studies of plant physiological function to understand forces underlying shifts in stress tolerance among closely related species or among populations of the same species.


Saturday, April 18

Women in STEM Research Symposium for Undergraduate and Graduate Student Researchers

Starting at 9:30 a.m., University Center Undergraduate and graduate female researchers in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math fields are invited to attend and/or present their research at the first annual Women in STEM Research Symposium. The symposium will include a poster and oral session, free lunch, and information about professional STEM societies here on campus or in Knoxville, a question/answer panel with notable faculty and staff from UT and ORNL, and will also feature Dr. Claudia Rawn (Joint UT-ORNL faculty in Materials Science) for the keynote address.

Big Orange STEM Symposium

10  a.m. – 3 p.m., Hodges Library B.O.S.S. provides access to university STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) resources including faculty, departmental programs, and experts in the field. This event will allow engagement and dialogue about current trends in the STEM fields and college preparedness.