UW-Whitewater readies for NCUR 2002 and more than 2,600 visitors
Released: April 1, 2002
More than 2,600 participants from 200 universities and colleges around the country will converge at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2002 on April 25-27.
“NCUR is going to be a banner event for UW-Whitewater that will bring benefits to the campus and the region,” says Chancellor Jack Miller. “This conference draws some of the country’s brightest college students and their mentors, and we’re hosting a program worthy of the occasion.”
About 110 disciplines will be represented, ranging from agriculture to zoology. Students from 48 states will make 1,930 presentations through oral reports, posters, gallery talks, performing and visual arts and an undergraduate research network. UW-Whitewater has the largest representation with 78 participants and American University in Washington, D.C. has the second largest contingency with 72 students.
This year’s keynote speaker on April 25 will be Evan Thomas, special projects writer and assistant managing editor for Newsweek. Thomas served as Washington bureau chief from 1986 to1996. He mainly writes in-depth profiles (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, O.J. Simpson), and high-profile news stories such as the Monica Lewinsky scandal and former President Bill Clinton’s 1996 campaign.
Speaking on April 26 will be Kweisi Mfume, the president and CEO of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Mfume has led the organization since 1996 and expanded its agenda on political empowerment, educational excellence, economic development and youth outreach.
The university has been working for three years to orchestrate the event. Nearly 20 motels in surrounding communities, including 10 in Janesville, have been booked full for lodging. Jones Bus Service will shuttle participants from airports and motels to the university. More than 400 volunteers will be corralled to usher and moderate programs.
“This is truly an all-campus effort and we’ve had lots of cooperation,” notes Lou Zahn, NCUR conference coordinator. “Plans are falling into place and now we just need to implement them.”
Two of the most pressing issues of our time will be addressed at the NCUR conference — the threat of terrorism and the medical promise of stem cells. A forum on Thursday, April 25 will explore scientific, social and legal responses to terrorism. On Friday, April 26, a stem cell research panel will be led by an expert from the National Institutes of Health and will profile UW-Madison’s groundbreaking research efforts.
Entertainment and cultural options will be available to conference attendees each night. On Friday night, fiddle virtuoso Natalie MacMaster and her five-piece band will perform an energetic take on traditional folk music. Prior to that, “Taste of Wisconsin, ” a smorgasbord of the state’s native foods, will be set up in the new DLK Fieldhouse.
After the conference ends on Saturday, participants may choose from various excursions, including the Milwaukee Public Museum, the State Capitol, biking or hiking in the Kettle Moraine area, Yourkes Observatory and a Lake Geneva cruise, or a Milwaukee immersion experience.
The mission of NCUR is to promote undergraduate research scholarship and creative activity in partnership with faculty and other mentors as a vital component of higher learning. Integrating research into the curriculum is a growing practice in American universities and is being further supported financially by federal research agencies.
For more information about NCUR, call (206) 472-5209 or visit the conference 2002 Web site at: www.uww.edu/ncur2002/index.htm.
- Jane Provorse,provorsj@uww.edu
