Anne Kooiker / Winonan

Undergraduate students in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system will have a chance to display research projects for the fifth year in a row at the Minnesota Undergraduate Scholars Conference on April 4 at Winona State University.

The Winonan discussed the conference with Zhang Mingrui, a professor of computer science at Winona State and one of Winona State’s representatives for the conference.

Q: What is the purpose of the MnSCU undergraduate conference?

A: Most of the colleges and the schools and universities in the MnSCU system are undergraduate institutions, and over the years the facilities members have been seeking balance for their students to demonstrate or to show their scholar activities.

They are very limited, those undergraduates… to present their research or scholar activities. Also, the group of facilities of the MnSCU system is using this conference to promote undergraduate research and scholar activities from students. Research is considered an extension to the classroom learning, and we think that is very important to teach our students how to do independent study and independent research.

Q: What does the conference help students with?

A: There is quite a few of undergraduate students who want to pursue advanced degrees in their fields. Doing research will help them to get this idea of what the research is like in their life, outside of the classroom with independent study.

Q: How many students present at the conference, and what are the requirements?

A: In total from nine MnSCU universities, last year we had 120 attendees who presented 70 posters. Students need to work with their mentors and facility members. First they need to complete their research and scholar activities and write up a one page abstract for the poster and presentation they have to give in the conference and submit them to their university representative.

Each campus and university has their own representative, they are responsible for the review of the abstract. Jana Craft and I from Business Administration are Winona State’s representatives.

Q: What types of research do the students present?

A: We have seen departments from biology, chemistry, computer science and from the science and engineering college. Also students and facility from business school and from the liberal arts college we have seen; sociology, psychology, political science. This year we have students from four different departments.

Q: Do the students get feedback after presenting?

A: When students present their poster or presentation through the interaction with the audience and the readers, they can get some feedback.

They frequently raise questions during their presentation which helps them to understand the matter better and help them to improve their presenting. We also encourage students to work with a facility mentor in their department to identify a project and to work on the project and research under the supervision of a facility mentor.

Q: How does this benefit Winona State as well as MnSCU colleges?

A: It’s a system wide effort, and Winona State is part of the MnSCU system. So, we need to continuously contribute to this process. Mostly, this conference will benefit the students because students present to the conference providing them the opportunity to share their scholar activities and research beyond Winona Campus.

They can meet with students from other schools, and for lots of students it is probably the first time they have ever met students from Saint Cloud, even from Mankato. And they see what they are doing on their campus, so that’s really a good influence or impact toward student learning.

Q: Any more comments or questions about the conference?

A: I just want to say, bring the best to your students, encourage them to work with a facility mentor in their field, in their department and doing something fun and interesting beyond the traditional class and present to the state conference.