Universal language

Amidst the chatter that filled Harrison Auditorium on April 8, several languages and nearly half a dozen accents could be heard as 32 undergraduates from around the globe, along with their faculty advisers and members of the U.Va. community, milled about the room. The undergrads, and all others there on that rainy Friday morning, were eagerly waiting to hear the student research presentations.

Listening closely, one never would have guessed that many of the students only met one another two days earlier, and much less that they were gathering for such an academic event. Rampantly, students exchanged invitations, intent on having their new friends visit their native country, shared information about their cultures and, like any group of undergrads, talked about what had happened the night before.

The group was convening for the third and final day of the Universitas 21 Undergraduate Research Conference April 6 through 8. U.Va. sponsored the event and hosted the international researchers from 12 colleges who presented their work. The conference’s purpose was to gather undergraduates from around the globe to share the breadth and depth of their unique research projects to an audience of peers, faculty and mentors as well as the larger community. And, while that was the main intention, it seems the students took away much more from the experience.

“This has been spectacular,” said Claire Pearce, a student from the University of Birmingham in England, who presented her research on leukemia cells. “One of the best parts has been meeting people from around the world.”

Friday’s events began with an introduction from J. Milton Adams, vice provost for academic programs. “U-21 is an avenue to become neighbors in this ever-shrinking world,” he told the audience. He thanked the students for presenting their ideas and for answering questions from their peers and referenced Thomas Jefferson, who sought help and answered questions about his ideas when creating U.Va.

Nicole Hurd, director of U.Va.’s Center for Undergraduate Excellence,  watched the students from the crowd almost like a proud parent. “This has been wildly successful so far,” she said. “It’s most exciting to see the students talk to one another -- you can really envision the future collaboration that’s possible with this crowd with the way they are connecting with one another.”

Three students from U.Va. participated in the conference. Catherine S. Neale, a history and American studies major, presented her research on slavery at the University link here to Oscar story; Jalan Washington, an interdisciplinary human biology major, presented her studies on the AIDS epidemic in Uganda and the United States; and Yogesh Surendranath, a biochemistry and physics major, presented his findings in the field of chemistry.

“We at the University of Birmingham believe passionately in the work of U21,” said Robert Arnott, sub-dean and director of the School of Medicine at the University of Birmingham. “I haven’t told anyone this yet, but I believe we are going to invite the next U21 conference to our University. This has been a huge success and something that ought to be repeated.”

This conference has broken new ground in several ways, Adams said. For one, this conference featured undergraduates, rather than graduate students, presenting their research, “which is phenomenal,” he said. Many members of the international faculty agreed that the work these students presented was comparable to work of many graduate students they have seen. Also, Adams said that this conference has provided students the opportunity to expand their vision and see the work each respective university is doing. Finally, “the breadth is fantastic,” Adams said. “There is a mix of different subjects -- the humanities, politics, medicine, health, the sciences, life sciences -- it’s amazing.”

Students had 12 minutes each to present their findings, after which they fielded audience questions. Public health and medical science research were presented on day one of the conference; social sciences, physics, chemistry, engineering and math were presented on day two. On the final day of the conference, Neale, in particular, thrived during the question-and-answer portion, as if she hoped her presentation about the history of slaves at U.Va. would spark interest about the history of the University in the minds of her peers.

The students spent days listening to one another’s research and socialized during various scheduled events in the evenings.

“I have made a lot of connections,” Neale said. “Hopefully that means a few trips abroad for me. Also, many of the students have said they are thinking of coming here for graduate school now, which proves that it was a huge success.

“To me, it’s amazing how quickly these people from around the globe came together and forged relationships across international boundaries. It’s great to get to know my fellow researchers so early in life. I hope we connect later and have the opportunity to work together.”

Helena Persson, a student from the University of Lund in Sweden, said that she was fascinated by Jalan Washington’s presentation yesterday about her research on AIDS in Uganda. “It was incredible -- so, so cool,” she said. “There is a big difference in the presentation styles from the international students and the American ones, and everyone notices it. We joke that we hate the Americans because they are too good. [They] speak louder, more comfortably, they are just better, but we’re learning from them.”

In addition to hanging out late at night with U.Va. students on the Corner (an activity the students found quite entertaining), the conference participants also had a meal at Scott Stadium, listened to an a cappella group and visited Monticello.

This conference coincides with the Undergraduate Research Network’s kick off of Research Week, which begins April 11. The annual weeklong celebration of student research from all fields and schools at U.Va. will feature student presentations, distinguished faculty talks and student panels.

This article originally appeared on Top News Daily, April 13, 2005.