Annual Taste of Research Showcases Student Work

By Melyssa Allen
 
Student research was in the spotlight during Meredith’s annual “A Taste of Research” event on October 14.

The event, sponsored by the Undergraduate Research Program, was an opportunity for summer undergraduate research stipend students to exhibit posters of their work.

Through the summer stipend program, student/faculty teams use the summer months to pursue a research or creative project in an area of common interest.

Fourteen student/faculty research projects were funded during the summer of 2009.
Undergraduate Research Program Director Francie Cuffney said the event lets research participants show students, faculty and staff the work done during the summer.

The 2009 summer stipend projects span across campus and beyond, according to Cuffney.

“Every school on Meredith’s campus was represented, in topics relating to art, business, science and more,” Cuffney said. “These projects also get students out into the community, and allow community members to see what students are doing.”

Brittany Morrison’s project relied on input from the local business community.  Her research, “An Analysis of Female Entrepreneurs in the Triangle,” required her to interview women business leaders.

“I asked them about their experiences,” Morrison explained. “They were all extremely ambitious … willing to jump through any obstacles they faced.”

Rebecca Forbes’ research topic featured a subject a little closer to home. She explored “Grammar Errors in Student Writing: Composition Versus Standardized Testing.”

Forbes, an English major, compared errors students made in the English 111 competency test with those made in writing assignments.

“I am a better writer because of this project,” Forbes said. “I’m also more observant of grammar errors.”

Other research topics included the nutrient contents of organic and conventionally grown spinach and lettuce; wing typology in Romanesque and gothic art; and the effects of “practice preschool” on generalization skills in young children with Autism.

For more information on undergraduate research at Meredith, visit www.meredith.edu/urp.