Biology major Cole Eskridge ’12 presented a project at this year’s Student Research and Creativity Day that got its start at last year’s Summer Science Institute. The two events, designed to foster UMW’s ongoing emphasis on undergraduate student research, worked in tandem to produce Eskridge’s worm-related work, “Phylogenetic Analysis and Diversity of Free-Living Terrestrial Nematodes in Virginia.” Spotlighting undergraduate research across disciplines – from the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math) to art and the humanities – this pair of programs showcases the hard work and long hours students pour into an array of projects each semester. Presentations allow participants to share their methods and findings and to answer questions posed by their peers. More than 100 undergraduates from each discipline the University offers took part in April’s sixth annual UMW Student Research and Creativity Symposium. Topics included such areas as soil erosion, wind … [Read more...]