Select Page

Linda Freed

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh students will present their research for Posters in Rotunda, the celebration of undergraduate research, at the Wisconsin Capitol April 6.

The celebration of undergraduate research recognizes students from UW System campuses, along with their faculty advisers, for their outstanding research projects. Students will share their research with other students and with legislators, state leaders and UW Oshkosh alumni.

Linda Freed, director of the Office of Grants and Faculty Development, said the event started as an advocacy event to show the legislature the quality of research that goes on in non-doctrinal campuses.

“It’s an opportunity for students to talk about their research experiences and how it has enhanced their undergraduate experience,” said Freed.

According to Freed, each campus sends six to eight undergraduates with their research posters. The process for selecting students begins with a call for volunteers and then establish a selection committee if needed.

Korin Franklin, a senior environmental studies major, will present a poster titled “Conducting a Waste Audit at a Large Urban Campus.” The research idea stemmed from the course campus sustainability she took in spring 2010 taught by Assistant Professor of History and Environmental Studies James Feldman.

Franklin’s research is focused on the awareness and practices of electronic waste among businesses and institutions in Wisconsin.

“I am excited to represent my classmates, Dr. Feldman and our campus next week at the Capitol,” said Franklin. “I want to show our legislators the importance of quality education and what research opportunities at the undergraduate level can do for not just individual students but for our state as well.”

Kathryn A. Baez, a nursing student, will present a poster titled, “Access to and Socio-economic Considerations of Dental Care in Wisconsin.” The research project began when Baez met with her primary physician and asked what she saw as a disparity in the medical field. Without hesitation she answered that it was a lack of dental care.

Baez said her intent is to encourage legislators to consider dental care as a necessary part of health prevention and not a luxury.

“Research has shown a link between poor dental care and premature births, low birth weights, dementia, heart problems and death,” Baez said. “I want to get the point across that two dental visits a year to keep teeth clean and healthy is less expensive than paying for a newborns long term stay in a hospital or open heart surgery and its long term ramifications.”

Freed said she enjoys attending Posters in Rotunda, “because it’s fun to observe students gaining comprehension of how academic life relates to the real world.”