The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) held its 18th annual Summer Research Symposium via Zoom on Friday, July 31. The event brought together more than 40 undergraduate students, who presented their summer research on a variety of scientific disciplines, which included marine biology, environmental science, biomedicine and community health, STEM Education and Social Science, COVID-19 and chemistry, and astrophysics and technology.
The virtual research symposium featured 53 student presenters with 10 moderators who participated in six concurrent sessions. The research topics were selected by mentors in collaboration with the students’ interests, or in some instances, the students indicated the kind of research they were interested in and were then paired with a mentor.
“Initially, we were very concerned about how to provide students with the same quality experience in a post- COVID academic and research environment,” said Dr. Verleen McSween, assistant professor of biology. “However, our students were adaptable, innovative, and willing to learn new technologies and apply them in order to conduct their research and meet the challenge of engaging with science and the community in a virtual format.”
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI website – http://www.uvi.edu/ - and from this direct link.