An Inside Look at URAC

AN INSIDE LOOK AT URAC More than a Celebration

By THOMAS E. FIELDS ’14

Spring semester is a celebratory season for many reasons at Westminster. The hustle and bustle of another academic year quickly draws to an end as our community springs to life, thanks to coveted springtime traditions. One tradition in particular: the Undergraduate Research and Arts Celebration (URAC).

URAC is a daylong event highlighting the collaborative work between Westminster students and faculty. Students display posters and art studio pieces, offer oral presentations and video productions, and give poetry readings and live musical performances to illustrate their varied academic achievements from previous semesters. During URAC, classes are suspended and nearly one out of every four students presents while the rest of the campus community comes out to support their work.

URAC has its own unique history. For more than 10 years, Westminster has honored the time and dedication students have put into their undergraduate research projects by celebrating their achievements at URAC. What started as a Saturday morning of select students presenting their honors research has grown into an event that involves most of the Westminster community.

Opposite page, Olivia Schmidt presents “Francisco de Goya and Las Pinturas Negras.” Above, a student discusses his poster with Dr. Carolyn Cuff. Below, professor Jesse Ligo asks questions about Jeremy Wiening’s 4 Square Delivery app research, while Dr. Tim Winfield directs the Westminster Trumpet Ensemble.

First known as the Undergraduate Research Symposium, URAC began on April 29, 2006, with 33 student presenters. Thanks to growth in faculty-student research collaborations, the development of the Undergraduate Research Advisory Council, and funding support from the Drinko Center, the number of presenters nearly doubled to include 60 student presentations the following year.

On Wednesday, April 27, 2011, Westminster hosted the first midweek URAC and the number of presenters soared to 224. It was also the first year data reflecting the number of students and visitors in oral presentations and poster sessions were collected.

Every year as URAC grows—this year 296 students participated— and the more students become involved, the more dynamic the event becomes. In recent years, URAC has seen more interdisciplinary research projects, study abroad spotlights, and platforms for student artists to share their expressions through live readings, performances and exhibitions.

URAC not only unveils the potential thriving in the hearts of Westminster students, but it opens the community’s eyes to the talents and gifts each student possesses. The opportunities for future URAC celebrations are endless.

Shining examples of success

In 2013, the Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series became part of URAC. Every year, a Westminster graduate is invited back to share his or her story of how Westminster prepared them for their current careers and throughout their personal journeys.

Alumnus Jeffrey McCandless ’80 holds the distinction of being selected the first Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series speaker. As founder and managing partner of Stone Harbour Partners, McCandless spoke about functional vertical industry experience, as well as operational, executive, and financial responsibilities of companies and organizations.

Other alumni speakers include Justin Shearer ’02, senior chemist at Dow AgroSciences, LLC; Tom Oyer ’05, awards office coordinator at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; and Dr. Nathan Carlin ’01, associate professor, McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at The University of Texas Health Science Center. Incorporating alumni into the URAC experience not only highlights Westminster alumni success stories, but also reinforces the power of sharing the impact of a Westminster education.

HAYLEY THEWES ’17

Hayley is a criminal justice major and legal studies minor with career aspirations of being a defense attorney. At URAC, Hayley presented her research that strived to fill the gap in literature identifying the daily stressors of being a defense attorney and/ or public defender. She used qualitative methods to investigate what aspects of being a defense attorney and/or public defender shape stress and methods of coping with the stress.

THIS IS URAC

LAUREL MICHALEK ’17

Lauren is an English major who used her passion for reading fantasy novels and turned it into research project titled “Trees of Middle Earth, The Myth of Their Inherent Evil.” For her project, she researched fictional trees in J.R.R. Tolkien’s different books. She argues that the fictional trees in Tolkien’s works turned evil because of the actions and influences of outsiders. She found corruption to be a theme throughout Tolkien’s works. At URAC, Laurel read the creative portion of her capstone, a collection of poetry based on her research about J.R.R. Tolkien and corruption he faced in life and his works.

ASHLYN BROWN ’17

Ashlyn, a neuroscience major, presented her senior research project with Dr. Deanne Buffalari at URAC. Her research investigates the correlation between the level of everyday anxiety in rats and the way they react to Anandamide, a neurotransmitter produced in the brain which is similar to the main ingredient THC found in marijuana. Ashlyn wants to determine if the rats’ predisposition to anxiety will predict their behavior after taking Anandamide. The larger scale implications for her project could potentially personalize medicine for patients. Ashlyn hopes to become an international physician, working abroad and doing community-based research on how cultural and language barriers affect the care given to patients as a physician.

DANNY OWOC ’17

Danny is a biology major with an interest in environmental science. Danny presented his capstone results after analyzing the heavy metals in manure and feed samples found locally and elsewhere in Northwestern Pennsylvania. He tested the biological samples for zinc, copper and other metals that may cause detrimental effects to the environment.