Dr. Marilyn Hart, associate professor of biological sciences and chair of the Undergraduate Research Conference steering committee from 2003 to 2006, works with an undergraduate student in her research lab.
In 1998, a small group of inquisitive Minnesota State Mankato faculty flew to San Diego to attend an undergraduate research conference. At the time, URCs were not commonly held at public universities, but awareness of them was growing. "We went to San Diego to find out what the URC was all about," says Dr. Mary Visser, associate professor of human performance.
What the group found in California lit a fire under them. Dr. Tony Filipovitch, then dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, remembers seeing a great opportunity. "It made sense to me because what makes us a comprehensive university is that we sit at the intersection of research and teaching. The URC is a way to combine our research mission with our teaching mission."
The group wasted no time after returning from San Diego—they immediately began organizing a homegrown URC on campus. Dr. Visser recalls the early support they received from the administration. "Wayne Quirk [then director of RASP] was absolutely supportive, as was Karen Boubel, who was vice president of academic affairs at the time. They were able to free up some funds that allowed us to award research scholarships to the students."
After the success of Minnesota State Mankato's first conference in 1999, Dr. Visser became chair of the URC. Dr. Visser's enthusiasm for the conference stems from its hands–on, grassroots nature. "One thing that has made the URC so unique is that it is developed by dedicated faculty who serve as mentors for the students," she says.
Involved with the URC since its inception, Dr. Mary Visser—pictured here with a student in the Human Performance Laboratory—chaired the steering committee from 2000 to 2003.
According to Dr. Visser, one of the early goals was to develop workshops and resources for students to teach them how to conduct and present their research. "Faculty come from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, but what we can teach as a group is how to write an abstract and prepare a 10–minute presentation," Dr. Visser says. "This allowed faculty to become better mentors because they did not have to spend as much time on these issues."
In 2003, Dr. Visser handed over the chair to Dr. Marilyn Hart, associate professor of biology (pictured on the front cover). Dr. Hart had been a member of the URC steering committee for a year prior to becoming chair, and she stresses the tireless work of the committee members as integral to the URC's strength. "The leader is nothing without the team," she says. "The steering committee is amazing."
Like Dr. Visser, Dr. Hart praises the administration for supporting the URC's mission. "Dr. Olson [provost and vice president for academic affairs] has been so supportive, as well as the dean of the graduate college, the RASP director, and the president of the university." Dr. Hart also credits the Minnesota State University, Mankato Foundation for taking proactive steps to lend a hand. She fondly recalls how the Foundation came to her, unsolicited, and asked if they could help with funding.
As the second chair of the URC, Dr. Hart focused on increasing the representation of the steering committee. "When I started as chair, not every college was represented, and that was a problem because this is a university–wide celebration of scholarship," she says. "We got every college involved—that was perhaps my biggest joy."
Dr. Gina Wenger, associate professor of art and current URC co–chair (right), envisions an Undergraduate Research Conference that includes students from regional colleges and universities.
In 2006, Dr. Hart passed the baton to two co–chairs: Dr. Gina Wenger, associate professor of art, and Dr. Trent Vorlicek, associate professor of chemistry. "Gina, in particular, was pivotal in getting the art department involved," recalls Dr. Hart. It was Dr. Wenger and Dr. Vorlicek's active participation on the steering committee that led Dr. Hart to champion for them to replace her when she stepped down.
Sharing the role of URC chair has been a positive experience for both Dr. Vorlicek and Dr. Wenger. "I feel that I can be completely honest with Trent because he has just as much invested as I do," says Dr. Wenger. Dr. Vorlicek adds that having one chair from the sciences and the other from the arts is a natural extension of the URC's ongoing mission to expand student participation throughout the university. So far, the idea seems to be working—2007 was the first year that student creative works were exhibited to the public after the conference itself.
But Drs. Wenger and Vorlicek's plans for the URC don't end at the campus borders. "Our number one goal [for future conferences] is to draw people from outside the university," says Dr. Vorlicek. Both co–chairs believe that bringing in student researchers from other colleges and universities would enhance Minnesota State Mankato's regional profile in undergraduate research and strengthen the overall quality of the conference.
Dr. Visser recalls that acting as the URC chair was "a lot of hard work." But she, like the other chairs, knows that the hard work was worth the reward. "When I look back on my career it's one of the best things I've ever done. Having my name associated with this conference makes me very proud."
