The URCAD is the largest of the events to substantiate UMBC's claim of being a research university. It provides a glimpse into the depth of the curiosity of the university's undergraduate student population, while showcasing endeavors in fields ranging from the sciences to the arts, and in subjects ranging from the Baltimore Orioles and Swarm Robotics to the Mycenaean Kingdom and tattoos.

The 12th annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) attracted over 1,300 presenters, visitors, and volunteers. This event, organized by the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE), represented 130 students along with over 100 faculty mentors, and wowed visitors with myriad topics and innovative directives.

In an e-mail to this year's presenters, Janet McGlynn, the event organizer, wrote, "Congratulations on a job well done. We received many compliments on the quality of poster, oral, and artistic presentations. You did great work in preparation and delivery."

Oral and poster presentation topics included "Analysis of the Mechanical Behavior of Bovine Descending Aorta," "Two Media, Same Metamorphoses: The Works of Ovid and Bernini," "Black Women's Attitude on Interracial Dating: A Qualitative Study," and many more along with the Dance, Visual Arts and Theater performances are summarized in an URCAD booklet and available through the OUE office and website.

"This is one of our favorite days on campus," Diane Lee, Dean of Undergraduate Education, said. "We get to really see what our students are doing."

Lee admired the students' initiative in taking up a role traditionally reserved for graduate students and faculty; however, the students thanked the university for creating resources that facilitate undergraduate research. Most presenters agree that the day was a great opportunity.

"It is great to have the opportunity to present your research and learn from other students," Simran Noor, a presenter, said.

"It is really great! I never imagined that I would be doing research or presenting here like this as an undergraduate," Audrey Hillman said.

The research is often made possible due to grants and funding available to the students. Janet McGlynn, who is also the Director of Communication and Outreach at the university, explained some of the ways that undergraduate research is funded:

• The Undergraduate Research Award is granted to about 30 students annually.

• Students in the sciences frequently find research opportunities in faculty labs and tap into to the faculty research funding.

• Quite a few researchers are funded by the Undergraduate Scholars Program, the National Institute of Health, state grants and by alternate sources such as the Maryland Cancer Research Fund.

• Various summer programs pay students to conduct research.

• Some of the research can be conducted without specific funding by using the university library resources.

Getting started in research is simple, according to McGlynn. Although, often faculty will recommend a student for URCAD, students can self-nominate as well. Detailed information is available through the OUE website.

"Each of the 130 student presenters at URCAD was recommended by a faculty mentor, demonstrating the support and encouragement faculty members give to students," McGlynn said about this year's event.

"Having URCAD and the Undergraduate Research Awards really adds substantially to the productivity of our lab," Kevin Omland ,of the Biological Sciences department, said. "Several of our undergrad students have authored peer reviewed publications from their URA supported projects. This is a great experience for the students, but also helps the lab and department, and leads to more visibility for research at UMBC as a whole."

Professor Liang Zhu of the Mechanical Engineering Department added, "It is important to expose students in their early stage to current developments in the research field and apply what they have learned in class to practical problems. The financial support from the URCAD enables [support of] the undergraduate students working in my laboratory."

UMBC president Freeman Hrabowski, who was "amazed" by the accomplishments, said: "I have had the privilege of talking about URCAD and our "UMBC Review" at a number of institutions this year, including Oberlin College, in Ohio, and Carleton College, in Minneapolis, and faculty around the country are amazed at our campus because we represent a great model for first-rate research, student engagement, and extraordinary achievement."

During the opening remarks, Provost Arthur Johnson said, "We are proud of how [URCAD] has grown, how there has been an increase in the breadth and the depth of student research."

This increase in the breadth of student research was noticed by student visitors as well. After browsing through the posters, Emily Blair, an Ancient Studies and Biology major said of the research, "There was a lot of science, and to get something from Ancient Studies and History was nice."