From Marburg virus to St. Cuthbert, CU students strut their research stuff

By Lissa Harris

Naomi Slutzki '03 has been hard at work in the lab all year long. A biology major with a bent for biotechnology, Slutzki has been working to develop sensors to detect the presence of the deadly Marburg virus, a potential weapon for bioterrorism.

Aneela M. Haider '03, right, human ecology, describes her research poster, titled "Neighborhood Effects on Adolescents' Well Being and How They Differ for Males and Females," to professor and associate dean in human ecology Kay Obendorf at the CURB poster session in the Biotechnology Building, April 11. Charles Harrington/University Photographer

In Snee Hall last week, with the results of her research project proudly displayed on the poster beside her, she finally had the chance to rest on her laurels.

On April 10 and 11, Slutzki and about 80 other Cornell undergraduates had the opportunity to show off the results of their labors at the annual Spring Forum sponsored by the Cornell Undergraduate Research Board (CURB). The 85 presenters represented fields and research programs from across campus, from theories of urban design to a scientific explanation of why the body of the "incorruptible" St. Cuthbert resisted decay after his death in 687. The event also included a keynote address by Robert Richardson, Cornell vice provost for research and the F.R. Newman Professor of Physics.

CURB is the only student-run organization in the country dedicated to fostering, encouraging and supporting undergraduate research at a major research university. Each year, CURB sponsors a Fall Open House for students looking to get started in undergraduate research, as well as the Spring Forum that includes poster sessions showcasing student research.

The forum's multidisciplinary nature brings students from many different parts of campus together -- a plant-science student researching crop genetics might find herself next to a sociologist studying religious attitudes. And it provides an opportunity for many students to practice presentation skills that will serve them well if they continue in research careers -- which, it seems, many plan to do.

Slutzki, who hopes to go on to medical school, said that getting involved with research as an undergraduate was a valuable experience. "I think it's a good way for students to go beyond their schoolwork and learn something new."

Randi Dublin '03, a human development major, echoed that sentiment. "I think it's benefited me greatly," she said. "It's allowed me to concentrate on one area of clinical psychology and develop my own interests in that specific area." Dublin's research, which she presented in the poster session, investigates the effect of personality traits on people's ability to reason scientifically. She is now hooked on clinical psychology, she said, and plans to pursue a research career beyond Cornell.

CURB president Silvia Odorcic '03 said that although this year's event was successful, the student board governing the organization has its sights set on bigger goals, hoping to attract more presenters and increase the diversity of the projects represented. "We're definitely trying to get more humanities people on board," she said. She also hopes that more faculty advisers will encourage their undergraduate researchers to participate.

Odorcic has been involved with the organization since her sophomore year, first as a presenter, then as a member of the governing board. Last year, Odorcic's own research -- on biochemical pathways in soybeans -- earned her a trip to Spain, where she presented her results before hundreds of international scientists.

Odorcic said that having been involved with CURB was good training for the experience of presenting at a bona fide scientific conference. "It definitely prepared me to get up in front of an audience and speak, get those jitters out, get used to an audience, get used to how to make a slide show," she said. "This is a very important forum for undergraduates -- and a stepping stone, I think, to bigger and better things."