UA First Year Project Symposium is Growing

University Communications
April 10, 2013

Maryam Tanbal has studied happiness, how people define and achieve happiness and how happiness evolves in society.

Kaylie Sanchez engaged in a community project focusing on the causes and effects of chronic rhinitis.

Sarah Davis investigate how people perceive dinosaurs, questioning how perceptions have changed over time.

Katherine Walters studied the relationship between the Nazi administration and German composers, focusing on how the relationship affected the careers of three specific composers: Felix Mendelssohn, Hans Pfitzner and Richard Strauss.

And Callie Branyan is designing a grasshopper robot that works with artificial muscle rather than mechanisms, using a computer-aided design program.

Each of these UA Honors College students will be presenting during the ever-expanding First Year Project, a special undergraduate research opportunity provided by the college. 

This year, a group of 45 first-year students are participating in the April 15 showcase for the largest number of students presenting.

The 4-6 p.m. event will be held in the Tucson and Catalina Rooms of the Student Union Memorial Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Students have produced final project, papers, artifacts and performances and will compete for prizes in a number of categories. The categories include analytical research, an applied research/community project, creative expression, lab or field experience, among others. 

“There are no two projects that are alike," said Cheree Meeks, the First Year Program coordinator, "which makes it even more exciting to see how students have incorporated their academic or personal interests into their research project."

Photography courtesy of the UA Honors College (top to bottom): The 2012 First Year Program had a show showing of UA Honors College students; Jenifer Wong presented her project, "Beauty and its Value: A Cross-cultural Comparison," and was the category winner for analytical research; Alex Mayer presented his project, "Commute: Photographing the Drive," and earned the Overall First Year Project title in the 2012 competition.

Contact: Diana Peel, UA Honors College events coordinator at 520-626-2728 or dpeel@email.arizona.edu.

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