Spring Break
Graduate students seek to crossover sciences
Megan Schwarz
Issue date: 4/22/08 Section: NEWS
Ben Lundeen said he knows that nature abhors a vacuum, and so he is demolishing the traditional barriers that divide academic disciplines.
As president of the NT Biology Graduate Student Association, the Wisconsin native organized the fifth annual Graduate Student Research Conference.
Previous conferences included only biology graduate students, but Lundeen said he wants to increase the sharing of ideas between students from all branches of science.
"It was my vision and the vision of students on the biology graduate student committee and some faculty to bring this array of disciplines together at the conference," Lundeen said. "As far as I know, this is the first time this has ever been done at UNT at the graduate research level. It's kind of a family event."
Vish Prasad, the recently appointed vice president of research, echoed Lundeen's belief in the holistic pursuit of knowledge.
"Events like this show you aren't alone," Prasad said. "They help you know the broader impact of your research, and what's going on outside your research."
Jim Kennedy of the biology faculty served as judge of the event's poster competition, and he said posters are one of the most effective ways to convey research results.
"At a meeting, the person stands in front of his poster, and if you don't understand it, you can ask him," Kennedy said. "That's important because if you can't communicate your science, it's lost. That's been a problem - the separation of scientists from the public."
Kennedy praised Lundeen for including students from the seven program areas of the Environmental Science Department in the competition, saying it was an unusual move.
Although officially a graduate student event, many undergraduates participated in the poster competition.
Spring senior Lauren Castilla beat out the graduate students with her research poster, "Developmental Changes in the Morphology of the Ductus Arteriosus in Emu." As the grand prize winner, she receieved $200.
As president of the NT Biology Graduate Student Association, the Wisconsin native organized the fifth annual Graduate Student Research Conference.
Previous conferences included only biology graduate students, but Lundeen said he wants to increase the sharing of ideas between students from all branches of science.
"It was my vision and the vision of students on the biology graduate student committee and some faculty to bring this array of disciplines together at the conference," Lundeen said. "As far as I know, this is the first time this has ever been done at UNT at the graduate research level. It's kind of a family event."
Vish Prasad, the recently appointed vice president of research, echoed Lundeen's belief in the holistic pursuit of knowledge.
"Events like this show you aren't alone," Prasad said. "They help you know the broader impact of your research, and what's going on outside your research."
Jim Kennedy of the biology faculty served as judge of the event's poster competition, and he said posters are one of the most effective ways to convey research results.
"At a meeting, the person stands in front of his poster, and if you don't understand it, you can ask him," Kennedy said. "That's important because if you can't communicate your science, it's lost. That's been a problem - the separation of scientists from the public."
Kennedy praised Lundeen for including students from the seven program areas of the Environmental Science Department in the competition, saying it was an unusual move.
Although officially a graduate student event, many undergraduates participated in the poster competition.
Spring senior Lauren Castilla beat out the graduate students with her research poster, "Developmental Changes in the Morphology of the Ductus Arteriosus in Emu." As the grand prize winner, she receieved $200.
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