STEM Students Impress at National Research Conference

Research Projects From Biology, Chemistry and Other Disciplines Represented

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Saxon, jsaxon@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-3607

(BOWIE, Md.) – Research from Bowie State received high praise at the National Council of Undergraduate Research (NCUR) Conference 2024 where students and faculty members participated and a record 29 abstracts from the university were accepted.  

Twenty-one of the abstracts were from the innovative Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences Program (CURE), and eight were from the Semester-based Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) and faculty-mentored research projects.  

Dr. Chimdimnma Esimai, Program Manager for CURE, led the group to NCUR 2024, and was quick to praise the students and faculty researchers. “We have such an incredible research ecosystem at Bowie State University, with phenomenal faculty and student researchers.” 

The CURE program offers authentic research experiences for all students regardless of their GPA by embedding the research experience in the curriculum, allowing for greater collaboration and mentorship with faculty and staff. 

Bowie State students thrived at the conference, taking advantage of the unique environment that celebrated undergraduate student achievement and learning about career readiness development through internship and job offerings.  

First time presenter Jamia Smith-Cleere, an aspiring pre-medical biology student, presented her chemistry research poster and thanked the organizers. “I want to thank Bowie State University for the opportunity of experiencing NCUR. In addition to sharing my chemistry research with Dr. Nick Shrockey, I had an amazing time and met some amazing people!” 

The student researchers also had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Bethany Usher, the 2023-2024 NCUR President who had high praise for the research presentations, posters and other work done by BSU’s student researchers.  

“This is exactly what we love to see,” she said, complimenting the collegiality, curiosity, and commitment of the BSU students. Dr. Usher took time to find out more about the students and their research, offering words of advice to the young researchers.  

“Although this was not my first conference presentation, it was my first at the NCUR conference, and I had a great time seeing all the different research projects and hearing from the other presenters,” said T-Yona Dobbins, graduating senior in biology. f “Receiving recognition from the NCUR President and presenting my thesis on radiation emissions from electronic devices was the highlight of my trip.” 

Bowie State University students presented research from multiple disciplines, including biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, computer science, and more. The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) is hosted by the Council on Undergraduate Research, the nation’s premiere organization for advancing success for student researcher-scholars.

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Bowie State University is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about Bowie State University, visit bowiestate.edu.