Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities recognized 16 graduating high school seniors as 2012 Promising Scholars and invited them to experience first-hand the opportunities that UGA students have to engage in research as undergraduates.
During a two-day visit to campus, the Promising Scholars got to attend the CURO Symposium, where more than 190 undergraduates presented their research projects produced under the guidance of faculty mentors.
The Promising Scholars also attended a roundtable discussion facilitated by current UGA freshman and sophomore participants in CURO’s Honors Scholars program. The undergraduates’ faculty mentors were available to respond to questions about the research process and their individual disciplines.
“We were very pleased to welcome the Promising Scholars to the UGA campus,” said David S. Williams, associate provost and director of UGA’s Honors Program. “The Promising Scholars are a key group that we consider for the CURO Honors Scholarship, our scholarship for students conducting undergraduate research. Whether or not individual Promising Scholars end up in that program, however, we want to encourage and support them in pursuit of their scholarly endeavors, including undergraduate research.”
Learning about the available possibilities for hands-on inquiry at the undergraduate level was a highlight for Promising Scholar Noah Boswell, a senior at Whitefield Academy in Mableton.
“I was excited to be named a CURO Promising Scholar because it is a unique program for undergraduates, and I am interested in being able to do research in the fields of business and economics,” said Boswell, who is from Marietta. “During my visit, I was impressed with the personal attention the Honors Program gives to the CURO Honors Scholars and the encouragement and help they provide.”
Promising Scholars Melissa Jennings of Buford and Anjali Kumar of Lawrenceville commented on the benefits of interacting with current students conducting research. They are both seniors at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology.
“My favorite part of the visit was eating lunch with the CURO Honors Scholars Panel,” said Jennings. “It gave us Promising Scholars a chance to leisurely ask questions about CURO, UGA and college life.”
“I enjoyed learning about the research that CURO Honors Scholars are currently conducting, and how they came to find their mentors and research projects,” added Kumar. “They gave valuable advice that I hope to apply when starting my research experience.”
The Promising Scholars also participated in campus tours led by CURO Honors Scholars such as Cameron Zahedi, a sophomore pursuing bachelor’s degrees in economics, mathematics and physics. Part of the tour included visiting Moore College, the headquarters for the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities as well as the venue for the Monday night class the CURO Honors Scholars attend about research expectations and processes.
“I think it is a great opportunity for high school students to gain insight into professional research in a college environment,” said Zahedi, who is from Milton.
The 2012 Promising Scholars are:
Name/Hometown/High School
Noah Boswell/Marietta/Whitefield Academy
Megan Chesne/Dacula/Dacula High School
Taylor Chishom/Alpharetta/Milton High School
Lindsay Dahora/Lawrenceville/Peachtree Ridge High School
Melissa Jennings/Buford/Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
Carlisle Kramer/Knoxville, Tenn./West High School (Tenn.)
Anjali Kumar/Lawrenceville/Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
Emily McIntyre/Viera, Fla./Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (Fla.)
Emily Meadows/Oxford, Miss./Oxford High School (Miss.)
Mary Nuttall/Decatur/Decatur High School
Anthony Reyna/Marietta/Mount Paran Christian School
Marco Roca/Dunwoody/Marist School
Caitlyn Van Heest/Conyers/Rockdale County High School
Emily Vermillion/Simpsonville, S.C./Christ Church Episcopal School (S.C.)
Elizabeth Wilkins/Athens/Cedar Shoals High School
Zachary Zahedi/Alpharetta/Milton High School
For more information on UGA’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, see http://www.curo.uga.edu.
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Note to editors: An image of the 2012 Promising Scholars is available for download at http://multimedia.uga.edu/media/images/2012_Promising_Scholars.jpg.
Caption: 2012 Promising Scholars are: Row 1 – Anjali Kumar, Lindsay Dahora, Emily McIntyre, Taylor Chishom, Carlisle Kramer, Emily Meadows Row 2 – Elizabeth Wilkins, Caitlyn Van Heest, Melissa Jennings, Zachary Zahedi, Anthony Reyna, Noah Boswell, Marco Roca, Mary Nuttall, Emily Vermillion, Megan Chesne.