UNG Students From Woodstock Showcase Research, Earn Internships

DAHLONEGA, GA -- Two students from Woodstock who attend the University of North Georgia are being rewarded for their research.

Competition is tough for science-based research opportunities during the summer semesters. So members of the biology, chemistry and physics departments at the University of North Georgia (UNG) celebrated this spring 2019 semester that five students won highly competitive research internships for the upcoming summer. The students - three physics majors, one biology major and one chemistry major - were offered opportunities to work at renowned programs and facilities.

Among the students was Amanda Ash, 19, of Woodstock.

Ash, who has partnered with another student on starspot research and presented at a conference in summer 2018, won a National Science Foundation (NSF) Researce Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the Smithsonian-Harvard Center for Astrophysics. She will work with astrophysicists for 10 weeks in in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"Dr. Gregory Feiden is good at pushing undergraduates to pursue bigger and better opportunities," Ash said in a release. "I'm excited to see how other professors conduct research. I hope to get new ideas, and when I return to UNG in the fall, I can bring those new ideas to the table."

Students interested in pursuing summer research opportunities or undergraduate research projects may contact the CURCA office at curca@ung.edu.

Nearly 130 UNG students performed research-based projects and presented their results during the poster sessions March 22 at the 24th Annual Research Conference (ARC) in the Convocation Center on UNG's Dahlonega Campus. Other students participated in panel discussions on topics such as educational experiences and musical research.

UNG students participating in the conference included:

• Susan Ha of Woodstock, a senior majoring in biology
• Emily Shrewsbury of Canton, a sophomore majoring in chemistry
• Vanessa Reale of Canton, a sophomore majoring in biology

"Some students conduct research because it is an important skill to learn for graduate school," said Bryan Dawson, assistant director of undergraduate research. But he thinks it is more than a means to an end. "I personally believe that research is a passion. It is a thread that goes through all of our students, who have an intense desire to understand their field better."

ARC also recognized students with exceptional work. There were 10 students who submitted their papers and posters for the best work honor. Faculty and staff judged them on merit, clarity, mechanics, organization, methodology, analysis, argument, attribution and citation.

Ha recieved an honorable mention for her poster on "Bugs in Bugs: Analysis of Microbiota of Trichoplusia in Larvae."