Students to Present at Van Andel Conference
Calvin College students will be among the approximately 100 area college students presenting research on Saturday, October 20 at Van Andel Institute as part of the first annual West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference.
The conference is intended to highlight undergraduate science research in West Michigan, something in which Calvin College specializes.
During the summer of 2007, for example, the science division at Calvin had some 60 students involved in a wide variety of research projects. Students studied the effects of pollutants on colonial waterbirds of the Great Lakes, worked to develop improved artificial tear solutions for dry eye syndrome and programmed a virtual fruit fly experimentor.
The upcoming West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference will include poster sessions by Calvin students as well as students from a variety of other local colleges and universities.
It also will feature a keynote presentation from Dr. James Lightbourne of the National Science Foundation and research seminars by faculty members from Calvin (Dr. Lawrence A. Molnar, professor of physics and astronomy at Calvin), Grand Valley State, Hope and Van Andel Research Institute.
Attendees are expected to represent Calvin, Grand Valley, Hope, Van Andel Research Institute, Aquinas, Ferris State, Michigan and Grand Rapids Community College.
The welcome and keynote address will be at 9:15 a.m. followed by poster sessions at 10:15 a.m., seminars at 11:30 a.m. and more poster sessions at 2:30 p.m.