Some two dozen Wayne State University students presented on oral panels and at poster presentations during the 22nd annual National Conferences on Undergraduate Research, held at Salisbury University in Maryland, April 10-12. The Office of Undergraduate Research coordinates WSU\'s delegation each year to a conference that lasts for three days and, this year, brought together more than 2,800 student researchers and faculty mentors.

Wayne State senior Shivani Agrawal, an Honors student who will attend WSU\'s School of Medicine this fall with a full tuition scholarship, presented her work, Long Term Secretion of GDNF for Nerve Regeneration Application, as part of a bioengineering panel. Agrawal presented alongside students from the University of Memphis and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Student research is not entirely science-focused, however. Senior Cevan Castle presented Rooms and Views: 20th Century Architecture and Social Interaction during a panel on material culture, museum and architectural studies.

"Undergraduate research allows students to go outside the classroom and apply their knowledge in the real world," says Kevin Rashid, coordinator of the Office of Undergraduate Research. "Presenting at national conferences takes student work to the next level. It prepares them for graduate school and their careers."

The Office of Undergraduate Research, housed within Honors, invites students from disciplines across the university - hard sciences, social sciences, performing arts and humanities - to participate in undergraduate research. Undergraduate research puts theory into practice as you work on projects and are mentored by full-time faculty who are leaders in their field.

Contact: Adam Herman / aherman@wayne.edu / 313-577-4621