University College

Students Present Research, Creative Work at SNCURCS

The Office of Undergraduate Research helped over 40 students to present their work at the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium.

January 19, 2023 phsmith 3-min. read

A group of students make wolfie signs in front of a poster presentation — Taylor Moore, Sofia E. Lee, Jaz Bryant, Tani Valdez Rivas and Ben Rinehard put their wolfies up at the symposium

On Dec. 3, more than 40 NC State undergraduate students presented their research and creative work at the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS), held at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. SNCURCS is a statewide conference for schools from the UNC System and North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) helped students apply and prepare for the conference. You can read more about the students and their projects here.

One of the students who participated was Jaz Bryant (Political Science and Science, Technology and Society ’23), who presented her research entitled “Sore Losers: The Winner’s Effect in the 21st Century.”

“I spent a lot of time reading articles, recording data and receiving feedback,” Bryant said. “Presenting at SNCURCS allowed me to showcase my findings to a new audience. It was nice to see interest from people outside of my field, and this solidified that my research is important. Moreover, I appreciated being able to see the other students’ work. The experience helped me to reflect on parts of my project that were working well and parts that could be strengthened. The experience made me better appreciate the effort that goes into higher learning.”

Bryant also credited the OUR for helping her sharpen her skills as a researcher, analyst and writer.

“Working one-on-one with a mentor gave me access to individualized feedback that isn’t often heard in a classroom setting,” Bryant said. “So, I have been able to use the advice given to me in other arenas, such as writing assignments. Working with the OUR led to me receiving a grant from my department for this project, which I am extremely grateful for. The administrators who work at the office are super helpful — I even did a run through of my presentation in the office. Overall, the OUR has provided a supportive environment for me to nurture my skills as a researcher.”

Another student who attended was Ishita Pai Raikar (Engineering ’25), who presented “Media Representation of Ethical and Social Issues Inherent in Autonomous Vehicle Technology.”

Ishita Pai Raikar with her poster at the symposium

“SNCURCS was not just an avenue to showcase my research to a wider community, but also to brainstorm new ideas for further research projects and advancements with multidisciplinary researchers,” Raikar said. “Presenting my poster at the conference provided me with an incredible platform to share my work and gain feedback from fellow undergraduate researchers, established senior professionals and scholars.

“This was a crucial opportunity to make a good first impression to establish connections that could lead to new collaborations, initiatives, mentorship and funding,” she added. “More importantly, listening to others’ presentations helped me learn and improve how to communicate my research effectively. Overall, it was a fantastic experience that I shared with fellow NC State research scholars.”

Raikar was also grateful for assistance from the OUR in her research.

“I am incredibly appreciative of OUR’s tremendous assistance, in-depth responses to all of my questions, and thorough counsel,” she said. “I connected with the OUR early in my freshman year, which was fantastic because it gave me time to seek potential research opportunities and mentors. OUR Research Mentors provided me with sound counsel, email drafts and potential research recommendations. Without OUR’s research opportunities, I might not have discovered my love for doing research and presenting it.”

Learn more about how the Office of Undergraduate Research can help you secure funding for and share your research and creative work at https://undergradresearch.dasa.ncsu.edu/.