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Show Message from Steven Roens Greetings and welcome to the 2007 Undergraduate Research Abstracts. I want to congratulate all of the students who have published their cutting edge research in this seventh edition. As this journal will attest, undergraduate research is a growing concern at the University of Utah as it is across the nation. Each year sees an increase in the number of abstracts we publish describing the research and creative projects being done under faculty supervision by our most talented undergraduates. This issue of the Abstracts recognizes many students who received assistantships from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). UROP provides undergraduates with opportunities to work one-on-one with faculty mentors on research and creative projects. To find out how to become involved in UROP, please visit our web site at http://www.ugs.utah.edu/urop. I would also like to recognize the students in the Honors Program whose abstracts appear in this journal as well as students who participated in the first annual Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research, hosted by the University in February, and all other students across the campus who have worked on research/creative projects with faculty sponsors, and whose abstracts are included here. In order for undergraduate research/creative projects to take place, faculty sponsors are indispensable. I want to acknowledge these accomplished professionals who, with full teaching loads and extensive commitments to their own research, generously give of their time to mentor students in research and creative projects. I would like to thankTom Richmond, Associate Director of the Honors Program, for recruiting Honors students'abstracts for the journal. I would also like to acknowledge the 35 students who participated in this year's "Research Posters on the Hill" event at the Utah State Office Building Auditorium, whose abstracts are published in a special section of the journal, as well as Robert McDermott from the Center for High Performance Computing, who was instrumental in producing the posters and in organizing the session and Kaye Clark, assistant, and Kim Wirthlin, Vice President of the University's Office of Government Relations. I am most grateful to Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs David Pershing, Vice President for Research Raymond Gesteland, and Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, Dean of the School of Medicine and CEO of University Health Systems Lorris Betz for their generous support of UROP. Without their help we would not be able to provide students with the rich experiences in research and creative work that they currently receive. Finally, I am especially grateful to UROP Assistant Director Jill Baeder, without whom none of this would be possible, who is unquestionably the face and the spirit of UROP, and to Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs John Francis for his support, encouragement, and unending flow of good ideas. Steve Roens UROP Director |
