Five English majors presented at the 17th annual Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research (UCUR) hosted in Salt Lake City, on February 17. The conference, modeled after the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), is designed to showcase the best undergraduate work from students all over the state. Undergraduates from all disciplines are invited to apply for the conference, which provides an excellent opportunity for students to present their work in a scholarly setting to other students, faculty, field specialists, and community members. Presentations include both visual and oral displays of work in all academic disciplines.
Attending for the second year in a row, Preston Waddoups presented on “The Byronic Hero and Turgenev's Fathers and Sons,” mentored by Professor Alan Blackstock.
Maren Archibald, who was mentored by Associate Professor Jared Colton, focused her research on “"A bird with a broken wing": Disability and Normality in Kate Chopin's The Awakening.” Maren found presenting at UCUR to be a valuable experience, especially as she is will be presenting at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April. As Maren put it, “It's one thing to do the research, but it's a whole new challenge to present it to others who don't have the same academic background. I'll definitely be working some more on my elevator pitch! It's interesting to get a glimpse into what other undergraduates are researching, both within my field and without. I'm glad I went, and I would encourage any undergraduate to apply to present next year.”
Three students presented research that grew out of ENGL 3470, Approaches to Research in English Studies, taught by Distinguished Professor Joyce Kinkead. Katelyn Allred did a netnography approach in “Laughing all the While: Race, Gender, and Recreational Violence in the Mechanisms Fanworks.” Also analyzing social media was Elizabeth “Lizzy” Bermudez: “Spooks and Spanks; Unraveling Paranormal Romance's Presence on BookTok.” Finally, Miranda Judson, did a timely study on “The Reality of Therapeutic Fictional Power: Students' Use of Fiction as a Coping Mechanism.”
UCUR’s mission is to promote undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity, done with the mentorship of faculty members, through an annual conference. According to the Council on Undergraduate Research, undergraduate research is an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline. It has been demonstrated as one of the truly high-impact educational practices.
The conference is organized by a committee of representatives from educational institutions across the state. It celebrates academic, professional, and personal achievements resulting from undergraduate research projects or creative endeavors. UCUR was the brainchild of Joyce when she directed USU’s undergraduate research program and brings together all institutions in the state—public and private—to showcase student research, scholarly and creative projects.
Visit the UCUR website for more information about the 2024 conference.