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Show 149 THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH In recent years, undergraduate research and creative work has become an essential component of a university education. The University of Utah has long been at the forefront, boasting many excellent programs and an infi-nite number of opportunities for our students. Our excellent faculty, top notch facilities and Research I, research extensive status allow our students to be at the forefront in the process of discovery. It is our mission that every student at the U enjoys the rich experience of research or creative work, which not only supports class work but also provides the necessary experience for graduate school and the post undergraduate career. I'm continually amazed at the brilliance and excitement a research or creative experience can generate. Although the majority of my work is with students I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to our talented and dedicated faculty without whose hard work and commitment none of this would be possible. Your knowledge, time and encouragement are the greatest contributors to the success of our students. I'd like to recognize the many students across campus that presented their research at discipline specific, professional conferences and campus -wide presentation events this year. In January 2012, 30 students on 26 projects traveled to the Utah State Legislature (represented in this journal) to present research to legislators from their districts. The University of Utah Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 6th reflected several hundred presentations from every college on campus. One of the greatest highlights of the year is the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. The conference was held March 29-31 at Weber State University, Ogden, UT. The University of Utah was well represented with 75 students presenting research with 3500 undergraduates from 400 colleges and universities around the country. As usual, our students did an excellent job representing the U at this prestigious conference. Next spring the conference will be held at University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse where we hope to have another fantastic group of students. 2011 - 2012 has been an exciting year for the Office of Undergraduate Research with a terrific new website to help undergraduates from all over campus access MURE, UROP, the Undergraduate Research Scholar designation (URSD), links to other programs and many publication and presentation opportunities. Take a look at http://OUR.utah.edu UROP has been very lucky this year to partner with the Sarah Beth Coyote Foundation to offer six assistantships in Sustainability. The projects, which are reflected in this journal, range from Chemistry to the Social Justice Gar-dens. Students and faculty alike have been excited to have projects funded in this important and growing area! We also enjoyed our first year offering assistantships through the Francis Family Foundation which supports student research and creative work in the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences. See our tribute to Mr. Francis and the first two projects funded through the foundation. We look forward to many more excellent students and projects in our partnership with the Francis Family Foundation! UROP is also proud of the students funded by the University Of Utah Board Of Advisors and the University's Parent Fund. 2011-2012 saw impressive projects in Biology, Engineering and Geology that may not have been possible were it not for the support of these groups. The Dee Foundation provided two assistantships that produced excellent scholarly research in Geology and Nursing. These scholars represented the U at the legislature, the National Conference on Undergraduate Research and discipline specific conferences. I would also like to thank ARUP Medical Directors Mark Astill and Harry Hill M.D. for collaborating with UROP, giving undergraduates the opportunity to work with the outstanding scientists in ARUP laboratories. Congratulations are in order for our graduates of 2012, with the majority off to medical school, dental school, law school and a plethora of graduate programs and professional careers! Special congratulations for UROP student Ashley Edgette in winning the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for 2012! It was well deserved with Ashley's commitment to supporting and improving the community throughout her undergraduate career. Fall of 2012 we will be offering dorm space in our new Undergraduate Research Living Learning Community! We will be better able to support our growing campus community and opportunities for incoming students to connect with faculty. It's an exciting possibility to enable many more undergraduates to be a part of the exciting world of research and creative achievement. JOURNAL MESSAGE Jill Baeder Associate Director, UROP |