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McNair summer researchers to study ADHD, Zen meditation, and more

mcnair_summerSumbitted by Lara Crombie, McNair program assistant

The McNair Scholars Program helps students reach their graduate school goals by offering a unique research experience during their undergraduate education. Participating students spend an average of 400 hours exploring their topics, developing a thesis, collecting and reviewing data, and preparing a formal presentation of their findings. Research provides the opportunity to develop a mentoring relationship by working one-on-one with a faculty member, gain extensive skills and knowledge in a discipline, learn methodological techniques, and practice writing and public speaking by submitting papers to professional conferences and journals. Research also helps prepare students for graduate study and gives them a resource for obtaining strong letters of recommendation. Continue reading “McNair summer researchers to study ADHD, Zen meditation, and more”

Augsburg sends scholars to the Capitol

scholarsatcapitolOn Wednesday, Feb. 22, 39 students and their faculty advisors from 14 colleges will present findings of their research at the ninth annual Minnesota Private College Scholars at the Capitol event. This event gives Minnesota’s legislators and the governor an opportunity to learn about the importance of research to private college and university students. It also allows students to gain experience speaking about their research work to a public audience.

This year Augsburg College will be represented by two McNair program scholars:

Building an Infrastructure to Recognize an Image’s Evoked Emotion

Chue Xue Lee, computer science, with Prof. Shana Watters Continue reading “Augsburg sends scholars to the Capitol”

Design installation illuminates the dark truth about chocolate

chocolateBy Kacie Lucchini ’14 and Wendi Wheeler ’06

You might have noticed something different in the Christensen Center recently. It’s not the hundreds of feet of orange air compressor hose nailed to the wall or an empty office space behind the welcome desk. It’s a series of facts and figures in an art installation that may encourage you to think differently about your next candy purchase.

The current show in the Christensen Center student art gallery, The Dark Truth about Chocolate, has something a little different to offer than the usual art installation provides. Augsburg design and graphic design students took part in organizing an art show around the trafficking and child labor in the chocolate industry. Under the direction of professor Chris Houltberg, a new addition to Augsburg faculty this fall, the students were challenged to make an art show that stood for something. Continue reading “Design installation illuminates the dark truth about chocolate”

Leadership students present research

colloquiumHow can corporate leaders optimize their conversation in the workplace? How does a leader’s behavior affect a subordinate’s commitment to their organization? How can communication efforts improve the satisfaction of part-time workers? These questions and others were topics of graduate student studies in the 14th annual colloquium in the Master of Arts in Leadership program at Augsburg College.

The colloquium serves as a showcase of student creativity, highlighting explorations of every angle of leadership. Students are encouraged to research topics they are passionate about and which they themselves have faced in the workplace. Continue reading “Leadership students present research”

Celebrating undergraduate research

undergraduate_researchIt’s Undergraduate Research Week, as resolved by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. Across the nation, colleges and universities will be highlighting student research projects and hosting events this week to discuss the importance of research in undergraduate education.

At Augsburg, we will mark this week with a series of events including Zyzzogeton, the annual celebration of student research and creativity. Continue reading “Celebrating undergraduate research”

For some Auggies, summer means research

mathconferenceWhat would persuade an active young college student to spend eight hours a day for 10 weeks of her summer in a laboratory looking over carbon uptake data? Ask Jazmine Darden, a sophomore mathematics and physics major from Brooklyn Park.

“You learn what a career would be like,” she says. “You can’t sleep until noon because you have to be at work, and it helps you realize what you want to do.” Continue reading “For some Auggies, summer means research”

Identifying the bad guys — research in police lineups

psych_policeIf you’re guilty, Nancy Steblay wants you to get noticed. Last year the Augsburg psychology professor she was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct research in eyewitness accuracy.

Steblay says her research reflects an interest she’s had in eyewitness accuracy for many years. “Lineups are most interesting to me because they involve procedures that the criminal justice system cannot adjust in order to reduce the likelihood of false evidence,” said Steblay. “My interest in lineups really strengthened as DNA post-conviction exonerations began to show up in the mid-90s. The most common cause of wrongful conviction in these cases is eyewitness error.” Continue reading “Identifying the bad guys — research in police lineups”

Mr. Krohn goes to Washington

brian_krohn2Senior chemistry major Brian Krohn is one of approximately 70 students in the country who will travel to Washington, D.C., on April 30 to present their research to members of Congress. Accepted to the 2008 Posters on the Hill program, sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research, he will travel to Washington with his research adviser, Arlin Gyberg, professor of chemistry.

Krohn’s poster is titled “Fuel of the Future: Biodiesel. A Novel Method and Catalyst for the Production of Biodiesel.” He became interested in biodiesel fuels and received a grant from Augsburg’s Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity Office (URGO) in summer 2006 to work with Gyberg. His goal was to experiment with alternate catalysts that could create a more efficient and environmentally friendly biodiesel. This research, done in collaboration with Augsburg alumnus Clayton McNeff ’91, vice president of SarTec Corporation, was successful and spurred the discovery of a new process to produce biodiesel. Continue reading “Mr. Krohn goes to Washington”