University officials plan to redirect classes during the upcoming National Conference of Undergraduate Research at Kennesaw State where the university plans to have over 4,500 people visiting its campus from April 11 to April 13.
Kennesaw State plans to handle the high volume of traffic by shuttling visitors from their hotels and remote parking areas through a third-party company, according to the KSU website.
Amy Buddie, the director of undergraduate research and professor of psychology, said instructors are encouraged to get their students involved with the event.
“Classes on campus during NCUR are redirected which means that faculty has been encouraged to create assignments that are related to the conference and then have their students go to the conference to complete the assignments,” Buddie said.
The event will need 1,000 volunteers to work between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. during each day of the conference in order to succeed, according to the NCUR volunteer page.
Undergraduate researchers, faculty and staff across all disciplines will be represented at the event and present thousands of research projects. Presentations will be split into multiple sections including posters, oral presentations, visual art displays and performances, Buddie said. Student interest sessions will also be available.
There is also a graduate fair with over 100 graduate schools present to recruit attendees. Several colleges will have an open house as well.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day on the Campus Green and satellite locations near the Social Sciences and Prillman Hall buildings, Buddie said.
Tiffany Capuano, the assistant director for media in Strategic Communication at KSU, said the NCUR provides a unique opportunity for KSU students to listen to student research presentations and engage with research in a broad range of disciplines. KSU is preparing its presenters with workshops that explain how to make posters of their research as well as presenting research.
According to the NCUR website, the NCUR is the largest conference dedicated to undergraduate research in the country. NCUR was designed to create a unique environment to celebrate and promote undergraduate student achievement and help improve the state of undergraduate research.
The upcoming conference will be the first time NCUR has removed its printed program in favor of a mobile app, Buddie said. The app is user-friendly and more effective than a printed program.
“This event has been years in the making, with hundreds of KSU faculty, staff and students behind the scenes working tirelessly on various aspects of the conference,” Buddie said. “It makes me so proud to be an Owl when I see KSU coming together to make this event the best it can be.”
