UNE hosts 2nd annual NURDs undergraduate research conference

The University of New England hosts the 2nd Annual Northeast Undergraduate Research Development Symposium (NURDS) on its Biddeford Campus April 17-18, 2010.   

In just its second year, the conference has attracted 196 students from 36 colleges, including students from as far away as California and Puerto Rico.

The UNE student-organized conference is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, with Markus Frederich, Ph.D., UNE associate professor in marine sciences, as the principal investigator.

The conference is the only regional science symposium in New England that features undergraduate research.  Peggy Maher, aerospace education specialist at NASA/Penn State, will deliver the keynote address.

The NURDS symposium enables undergraduate students to refine their research skills by presenting high-level science research to their peers for valuable feedback and input.

Topics of presentations cover a broad range of sciences, such as marine biology, ecology, evolution, environmental sciences, biochemistry, analytical chemistry, physics, and oceanography.

Students can also attend workshops organized by UNE students to learn about local intertidal fauna, atomic force microscopy, epifluorescent microscopy, seal necropsy, and rat behavior.