Undergraduates from across Utah will come to the Sorensen Student Center at Utah Valley University on Friday, Feb. 17 for the annual Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research (UCUR). Keynote speakers will include UVU associate professor Heath Ogden and UVU alumnus and award-winning filmmaker Torben Bernhard.

“UCUR is the state’s premier venue for undergraduate students to disseminate their research, scholarship, and creative works,” said Richard Tafalla, UVU associate vice president for scholarship and faculty development. “With a record number of competitive applicants and conference registrants from across the state of Utah, students will be delivering oral presentations, poster presentations, and artistic performances. This is an exceptional opportunity to observe and interact with outstanding students from UVU and across the state.”

Ogden is an associate professor in the Department of Biology at UVU. A strong advocate for undergraduate research, Ogden has research interests in evolutionary biology, entomology, systematics, phylogenetics, comparative genomics, bioinformatics, and scientific teaching.

Bernhard is an award-winning director, editor, and cinematographer. He has directed and produced several critically acclaimed short and feature documentaries, which have been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Upworthy, People Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. He is a co-founder of OHO Media.

This is the second time UVU has hosted UCUR, and the first since 2008. UCUR is modeled after the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and organized by a committee of representatives from educational institutions across the state. The conference celebrates academic, professional, and personal achievements resulting from undergraduate research projects or creative endeavors.

For more information on UCUR, contact the UVU Office of Undergraduate Research at 801-863-8337 or visit http://www.ucur.org.

Fourth region (Section 1)