CSU - Pueblo to celebrate science this week at research symposium
 
Pueblo –The College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) at Colorado State University – Pueblo will celebrate student research in the natural sciences and mathematics this week as part of its inaugural CSM Research Symposium and Open House on Friday, October 28. Undergraduate and graduate (masters) science and math majors will present research posters of work directed by faculty mentors in disciplines including chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics. The Symposium and Open House will be held from noon to 2 p.m. in the Life Sciences Building Foyer and is open to the public.

The research poster session is a culminating activity for a summer Undergraduate Research Program supported by the College of Science and Math, which funded eight students and six faculty members in research projects at CSU-Pueblo. The 2005 program was funded at $20,000. Student researchers were competitively selected to receive stipends of $2,000 for eight weeks of work, and many students have continued their experimental studies with faculty into the academic year.

The program is expected to grow during the summer of 2006 to support 10-12 students. Students participated in a diverse range of faculty research programs including those investigating subjects such as genetic diversity in native plants and noxious weeds, physical activity in rats, and cell wall structure and function. Undergraduate and graduate students who also did research this summer but were supported through other programs also will present findings of their research. Some of these students were supported by Benkmeyer funding from the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCC), a part of CSU-Pueblo’s Cancer Grant funded by the National Cancer Institute.

The Student Research Symposium has been scheduled to coincide with National Chemistry Day, in which regional high school students investigate careers in chemistry and forensic science, participating in a chemical jeopardy competition, and touring research laboratories at CSU-Pueblo. CSU-Pueblo’s Chemistry Club will host more than 100 regional high school students for speakers, tours of forensic science and other research labs, and the Chemical Jeopardy competition, which is scheduled for 10-11 a.m. National Chemistry Day exists to increase general public awareness of chemistry and to educate and excite K-12 students about the field of chemistry and its related careers.


 Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.