The Hope participants, representing departments campus-wide, were selected by NCUR on the basis of their projects.  The annual conference, which is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study, regularly hosts 3,000 students and their faculty mentors from around the country to present their research through posters, oral presentations, visual arts and performances.

Hope has consistently had students chosen to be presenters since the annual event began in the latter 1980s, with an acceptance rate of 98 percent.  Another 10 students were chosen this year in addition to those participating, but were unable to attend because of other commitments.

The presenters from Hope, and the departments their work represented, are:  

senior Aida Alvarado of Holland, modern and classical languages;

senior Kelsey Beabout of Elkhart, Ind., nursing;

senior Marcy Blowers of Elburn, Ill., education;

sophomore David Blystra of Holland, sociology and social work;

junior Katie Callam of Holland, music;

senior Jacqueline Canonaco of Arlington Heights, Ill., psychology;

junior Gabriel Casher of Ann Arbor, education and psychology;

senior Nydia Chavarria of Holland, education;

junior Howard Dobbs of Warrenville, Ill., chemistry;

junior Nick Haugen of Kalamazoo, education;

junior Daniel Owens of Rocky River, Ohio, history

sophomore Sam Pederson of Mount Prospect, Ill., education;

senior Kirsten Peterson of Sunnyvale, Calif., psychology;

junior Andreana Rosnik of Shelby Township, chemistry;

senior Brent Smith of Owosso, music;

senior Imari Smith of Lansing, psychology;

senior Ryan Tussey of Fort Wayne, Ind., psychology;

senior John Vanderveen of Clarkston, education and psychology.

The students will be accompanied by Dr. Julia Randel, associate professor of music.

NCUR seeks to create a unique environment for the celebration and promotion of undergraduate student achievement, provides models of exemplary research and scholarship, and helps to improve the state of undergraduate education.  The idea for a national conference open to all undergraduates was conceived and first implemented at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 1987.  Unlike meetings of academic professional organizations, the event welcomes presenters from all institutions of higher learning and from all corners of the academic curriculum.

Offices at Hope providing financial support for the students’ participation include the provost’s office; the offices of the deans for the arts and humanities, the natural and applied sciences, and the social sciences; and the departments of chemistry, education, history, modern and classical languages, music, nursing, psychology, and sociology and social work.

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