N.C. State plans to host the second annual Undergraduate Research Speed Dating event today. It is set to take place in the Talley Ballroom from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The event, sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research, University Honors Village, University Honors Program and Student Government, aims to provide students with a low-stress, non-obligatory opportunity to speak with professionals involved in research at the University. It is also an easy way for students to learn about research in various disciplines, said Judy Day, assistant director of the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Each N.C. State faculty member is to be seated at a table with three additional chairs for students. “Dates” with the professional should last around 15 minutes for students and researchers alike to ask questions of one another. There will be five minutes between each date, so students will have plenty of time to move from table to table.
The assistant director of the University Honors Program, Aaron Stoller, said the event essentially had two purposes – to provide students with information about current undergraduate research at the University and to allow students to begin networking with professionals involved in relevant fields of study.
Researchers from every college in the University are expected to attend. Representatives from a large range of disciplines, including art and design, horticulture, textile engineering, political science, economics, and communications, are anticipated to be at the event.
The coordinators want to have a wide variety of professionals available, so students can learn about research in “different disciplines or majors that they might not have thought about before,” Stoller said.
Brian Peters, community director of the Honors Village, said conducting undergraduate research can help students “get more out of the collegiate experience.” It can also help put students “ahead of the game” and make them stand out on graduate school applications.
Catie McVey, a junior majoring in animal science, helped develop the idea for the event last year after she realized how difficult it could be for students to learn about and become involved in undergraduate research at N.C. State.
“I had noted that a lot of students only had a vague idea about what exactly was involved in undergraduate research,” said McVey, the lead student organizer for the event.
“Events like Research Speed Date, as well as others in the in the Student Government pipeline, such as Alumni Speed Networking, connect students with many transformative experiences that can really enhance their time at N.C. State,” Joseph Moo-Young, the Student Government Academics Commission chair and junior in textile engineering, said.
Moo-Young said he sees these events as building upon Student Body President Andy Walsh’s vision for the school.
Pre-registration was offered until Monday, but students can still register for the event on-site beginning at 4:30 p.m. Refreshments and door prizes will be offered at the event. Students from all academic levels and disciplines are encouraged to attend.