Thursday’s Spring Academic Showcase in the Rockwell Pavilion presented the best of mentored research efforts of more than 100 UH students. The Office of Undergraduate Research hosts this event each semester to showcase the hard work of UH students.
More than 50 students showed their senior thesis projects for all of UH to see. | Kayla Stewart/The Daily Cougar
Presenters came from a range of colleges to show their different passions through oral and poster presentations. Architecture senior Juan Pablo Fuentes presented his Honors College thesis to find a solution for water collection issues in Lima.
“Until I started the project, I didn’t know that water collection was a problem in Lima,” Fuentes said. “I really encourage students to do a thesis because this gives you a window of opportunity to explore those ideas that you sometimes can’t do in class. It gives you a realistic view of the work field.”
Fuentes was one of many Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture students to present his or her senior thesis at the showcase. The seniors spent their fall semester researching their thesis and the spring semester to design the solution to the problem.
Also at the showcase were 40 students from the Honors Introduction to Sociology course, a new class taught by Shasta Jones. The course, part of the Medicine and Society honors college minor, is open to all students. It focuses on global health issues outside of the U.S. that may be otherwise overlooked.
“The students find the problems to develop solutions for them,” Jones said.
Biology junior Yari Clavel presented her solution for Japanese Encephalitis in India with her fellow classmates, Alexandra Davis, Merlin Jacob and Kim Ly.
“We worked as a team on this project over spring break,” Clavel said. “It was a great experience. In the class, you’re forced to talk, and you want to participate, making the project more desirable to do.”
Many students are looking to further the mission of their project beyond the presentation and implement their research into real life solutions.
Almost 40 students from the Global Health course presented at the showcase, an impressive number of students from one class.
“To even be in the showcase, you have to apply first, then wait to be notified by Karen Webber. It’s an honor to be here,” Clavel said.
