抖M女仆 Students Showcase Findings at Research Symposium
抖M女仆鈥檚 Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (OURI) hosted the sixth annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Graphic design students Ashley Chozas, Tali Kamholtz, and Luis Duitama showcase their findings on traffic sign effectiveness.
抖M女仆鈥檚 Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (OURI) hosted the sixth annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, which showcases undergraduate students who are engaged in research, scholarship, and creative activities. More than 150 students presented their findings through visual, oral, poster and performing arts presentations.
鈥淓ach year our students raise the bar with the caliber of their research and inquiry projects, which is a testament to the dedicated faculty we have here at 抖M女仆,鈥 said Donna Chamely-Wiik, Ph.D., assistant dean in OURI. 鈥淲e are proud of our undergraduates and look forward to their continued successes.鈥
Marianna Calvet, a dual-enrolled student at 抖M女仆 High School and 抖M女仆, is part of a research project studying the impact of rainfall and temperature on the sex determination of green turtles. Turtle nests with cooler temperatures typically hatch more males, while warmer nests hatch more females. Since the green turtle is an endangered species, the project aims to provide a better understanding of current sex ratios, which is critical for this specie鈥檚 recovery.聽
鈥淩esearch gives you an edge,鈥 said Calvet. 鈥淓veryone does their coursework, but when you do research, it shows you are willing to give up your valuable time.鈥
Undergraduate research isn鈥檛 just limited to the sciences. Graphic design students Ashley Chozas, Tali Kamholtz, and Luis Duitama used their art backgrounds to conduct research on traffic sign effectiveness. The team redesigned traffic signs and used eye-tracking technology to see if the signs grabbed the attention of more drivers. They concluded that colorful signs with fewer words are more effective at busy intersections.
鈥淎s artists, we are used to working alone in a room,鈥 said Chozas. 鈥淭his research project forced us to step out of our comfort zone. It was a brand new experience for all of us.鈥
To demonstrate 抖M女仆鈥檚 commitment to undergraduate research, the University will host the 2017 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference, a prestigious statewide conference open to all undergraduate researchers in Florida in February 2017.
For a complete list of this year鈥檚 winners, click .
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