North Central College students to present research at NCUR

North Central College students will showcase their original research in biology, chemistry, psychology, literature, the arts and other fields at the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in April.

NCUR has accepted 32 proposals by 34 North Central students for presentation at its annual conference. NCUR promotes research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study and accepts only top submissions by undergraduate students.

This is a great accomplishment by North Central College students and faculty mentors, says Nancy Peterson, professor of chemistry and coordinator of undergraduate research, and ties the College’s 2012 record for the most accepted proposals in the College’s history.

“North Central maintains its ranking in the top 5 percent of the nation (or No. 16 of 326 colleges and universities) for schools producing the most accepted proposals,” says Peterson.

Young scholars from all institutions of higher learning and all corners of the academic curriculum will meet for the conference April 11-13 at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

Among North Central’s presenters are 14 College Scholars and 15 participants in the College’s Summer Undergraduate Research Colloquium (SURC). Their areas of study range from psychology, gender and women studies, studio art, biology and chemistry to interactive media studies, English literature, German, athletic training and history.

Their presentations include multiple reports of scientific analysis as well as diverse topics, such as amphibians in DuPage County, E. coli bacteria, how German identity is affected by the legacy of World War II, media manipulations of advertisements and their effects on self-esteem, how online healthcare information is impacting the physician-patient relationship, an investigation into the 3D animation process and much more.

Students chosen to present at the 2013 NCUR are Nick Baumgartner, Scott Blaszak, Sean Brady, Jillian Brunner, Candice Caldwell, Katelyn DeRosa, Samantha DeWerff, Joel Di Bernardo, Andrew DuBois, Amber Dvorak, Samantha Eby, Monique Feurdean, Molly Gstalter, Joseph Guenther, Madison Henry, Obaid Khurram, Jordan Kremer, Colin Loeffler, Trevor Magnotti, Megan Malone, Anna McGreal, Kelly Rasmussen, Carissa Rosine, Tyler Schroeder, Anika Shain, Alana Shuma, Andrew Smith, Kristen Soforic, Jeremy Thurlby, Kelsey VandenBerg, Louis Waldmeir, Colin Westman, Kevin Williams and Brandon Wood.

To learn more about the conference, visit cur.org/ncur_2013.