Wayne State University students will join others from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University to celebrate the contributions undergraduates are making to the state through research at the sixth annual Michigan Undergraduate Research Forum Wednesday, March 24th, 2010. The free event will be held in House Committee Room 424 in the State Capitol Building in Lansing and is open to the public. Twelve students from throughout the state will make presentations that demonstrate the important role of undergraduate research in higher education and underscore the impact of research in addressing critical state issues and needs.
Students chosen to represent Wayne State University at this year's forum are Willian Ahee (Grosse Pointe Shores), Julie Sosin (Royal Oak) and Fattum Mutahr (Dearborn).
Ahee and Sosin will co-present their research, "Heidelberg Community Garden Project," which focuses on the need for community gardens and the roles that university students can play in creating greater food security. It will describe the process of beginning such gardens and outline the difficulties and successes experienced throughout the project, as well as ways to address typical problems in starting a garden. It will conclude by addressing the broader issues of community garden development and the importance of creating realistic timelines, cultivating community partnerships and tackling food justice concerns while carrying out research in low-income areas.
Mutahr will present her research, "Reality Check: A Community Outreach Program and Research Initiative." Her intent was to benefit youth in urban centers/ethnic enclaves by working toward three primary goals: to promote the success of youth (grades 1-12 and college students) through creative projects and discussion-based lessons; to create a positive urban identity for urban centers and a universal template for a community involvement; and to create a template for a community outreach program that could be implemented in any given community. The project was successfully coordinated and implemented over three months to meet these goals in an Arab-American enclave in Southeast Michigan.
"Fattum, Julia and William's projects are great examples of the mentored student work WSU's Office of Undergraduate Research seeks to sustain," said Kevin Rashid, undergraduate research coordinator. "Funding for undergraduate research provides critical support for a unique population of students--self-starters ready to get outside the classroom and apply their knowledge to economic and social issues critical to Michigan's turnaround. We need to nurture their strong work now in hopes they'll stay in-state as dynamic, engaged citizens, employees and/or entrepreneurs."
Presentations of students from other schools will cover issues from the impact of business incubators in spurring Michigan's future economy, health care disparities and medical advances in treating stroke patients, to technological advances for auto electrification to environmental sustainability, education, and prison reform.
State Senator Alma Wheeler Smith, Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon, Special Advisor to the Governor Jackie Jerome Marks, and Jeff Mason, Executive Director of Michigan's University Research Corridor are also scheduled to speak about the role research universities play in educating future researchers, teachers, policymakers, engineers and corporate leaders. Their remarks also will highlight the important contributions university researchers make to the quality of life of Michigan's citizens and the state's future economic vitality.
Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.