BOONE—Twenty undergraduate students from Appalachian State University have had their work accepted for presentation at the 24th National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Missoula, Mont., April 15-17.

The student presentations range from a study on noise exposure and stress to a presentation on the evolution of the violin concerto.

Disciplines represented by the student researchers are architecture/interior design, atmospheric sciences, biology, chemistry, interdisciplinary studies, music, physics and psychology.

“This is a record for the most abstracts that we have ever had accepted since the inception of Appalachian’s Office of Student Research,” said Dr. Alan Utter, OSR director. “Typically, only about 60 percent of all student abstracts submitted to the NCUR conference are accepted. In our case, we had 100 percent accepted.”

Utter said the student work went through a competitive review process for inclusion at the conference.

This is the first time Appalachian has had submissions to the national research conference from its Hayes School of Music and interdisciplinary studies (Watauga Global Community/Honors) program. “In the past, people have thought of undergraduate research as something done only in the sciences, but this meeting is meant to showcase research and creative endeavors,” Utter said. “In many cases, this will be a life changing academic experience for these students.”

While in Montana, students will have the opportunity to attend talks by Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner and ecologist Steven W. Running, Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER) founder William David Burns and international journalist Henriette Löwisch.

“Having the opportunity talk about their work, receive feedback and defend what they have done

epitomizes what we are trying to do in respect to disseminating new knowledge,” Utter said. “This is an invaluable component of their undergraduate educational experience that is simply difficult to get in a classroom setting. I hope this experience will motivate these students to go on to earn graduate degrees and pursue additional research and creative endeavors.”

The National Conference on Undergraduate Research is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study. The annual gathering will draw up to 2,600 scholars and their faculty mentors from all institutions of higher learning in the United States.

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