OSU hosts 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Expo
Monday, July 29, 2024
Media Contact: Page Mindedahl | Communications Specialist | 405-744-9782 | page.mindedahl@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University offers students the unique opportunity to participate in research studies and offer their own proposals from the moment they step on campus until their senior year.
On July 25, in the Nancy Randolph Davis Building, undergraduate students from 21 majors showcased 30 research projects in the annual Summer Undergraduate Research Expo.
The summer research program is a unique opportunity for students to prepare for graduate school and build a small network of other colleagues researching in their field. Students learn tools and best research practices to prepare them for post-graduate research.
Dr. Kenneth Sewell, OSU vice president for research, remarked on research's impact on students who may have never imagined themselves performing these in-depth studies.
“These mentored research experiences have now provided a vision of themselves to this group of talented students. Whether they become scientists, physicians, veterinarians, pharmacists or CEOs of corporations, the formative experience of undergraduate research will continue to reap benefits throughout their lives, careers and everyone they touch along the way,” Sewell said.
Morgan Mosby, a senior agriculture science major from Mississippi State University, came to OSU for an internship with the Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates program. REEU is an undergraduate research program that introduces students to the world of horticulture sciences and agricultural research through the Ferguson College of Agriculture.
Mosby’s project focused on evaluating the quality and yield of red Russian kale microgreens using four different substrates.
“We are trying to find ways to find some renewable and sustainable substrates that we can use to grow the microgreens. In my studies, I used 10% biochar coconut core and hemp fiber as my treatments and soil that is commercial media as my control,” Mosby said.
Mosby worked all summer on her project and spent an hour discussing her findings with event attendees. Students, faculty and staff learned about each project and asked questions about what they learned from the research.
Mosby claims that the experience gave her more than just the opportunity to dive into research for the first time. She also had the chance to find new opportunities for her future.
“This experience introduced me to OSU. I’m considering coming back to Stillwater for graduate school now,” Mosby said.