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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesUVI Summer Research Symposium Set for Friday

UVI Summer Research Symposium Set for Friday

About 20 UVI science students will present posters this Friday on St. Thomas displaying the results of their research this summer at UVI’s eighth annual summer undergraduate research symposium.
The public is invited, especially all interested junior and senior high school students, according to a statement from UVI.
The young scientists conducted their research while participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) and Sophomore Summer Research Institute (SSRI) programs.
Topics range from traditional botanical remedies and mobile robotics to odd-number problems and computer data mining. Fifteen of the presenters worked on the St. Thomas campus and five on St. Croix.
The program participants get a chance to brush up and upgrade their skills in research, teamwork and professional contact, said Angela Dikou, one of UVI’s summer program coordinators.
“They are exposed to the entire research cycle—from conception of a research problem, through formulation of an experimental design, to communication of their research findings,” Dikou said. “It is a pleasure to work with a diversity of young minds… (they) bring lots of fantasy, inquiry and music to the program.”
Topics represented in the student projects include:
— Local Ecological Knowledge of St. Thomas Fishing Community;
–Traditional Botanical Remedies;
— Papaya Seed Germination
— Mobile Robotics and Sensor Networks
— Fireworm Food Location;
— Mechanisms of Coral-Algal Interactions;
— Odd Triperfect Number Problem;
— Habitat Preferences of Adult Long-spined Sea Urchins Diadema antillarum;
— Genetic Structure of Two Mangrove Species in the Virgin Islands and Florida;
— Data mining of socio-economic factors to Predict Violent Crime in Communities.
Organized by the Emerging Caribbean Scientists Programs office in UVI’s College of Science and Mathematics, the symposium will take place Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Administration and Conference Center (former Harvey Center) on the St. Thomas campus. Admission is free.
At the close of the symposium, another 23 students who participated in UVI’s “Math Behind the Science” summer bridge program will receive certificates. These students are recent high school graduates, the majority of whom will attend UVI in the fall. The program is designed to enhance the mathematics preparedness of college-bound students who are interested in pursuing careers in science, mathematics, engineering, technology or medicine.
The summer training and research programs at UVI are supported by grants from many sources, including funding from the National Science Foundation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program, VI-EPSCoR, the MARC and RISE programs of the National Institutes of Health, the Jones, Holloway & Bryan Foundation, UVI’s Agricultural Experiment Station, HOVENSA and UVI’s Center for Marine Environmental Studies.
Research is also supported indirectly by grants which fund scientific research for the students’ faculty mentors. General support is also provided by UVI’s College of Science and Mathematics.
The College of Science and Mathematics needs funds to support research and scholarships for students with interests in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. If you are interested in sponsoring UVI’s Research Symposium program, call the Emerging Caribbean Scientists Program office at (340) 693-1232 or email tpeters@uvi.edu. There is more information at the Emerging Caribbean Scientists program web site, http://ecs.uvi.edu.

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