Fifty-three Ithaca College students traveled to the University of Memphis in Tennessee to present their research at the 2017 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).
Students from colleges and universities across the country presented at the annual conference, which took place April 6–8. The presentations mostly comprised research projects completed during students’ coursework, including independent studies, senior theses and lab work.
Senior mathematics major Daniel Tjie presented his research on finger games, a topic of number theory. He had begun his studies on number theory in fall 2015, and continued it through the spring and during the summer as part of the Summer Scholars program. He presented his work at the 2016 James J. Whalen Academic Symposium at Ithaca College, as well as MathFest, the largest math conference in the U.S.
“When I saw that applications were open for NCUR, the biggest national conference, I said, ‘Well I definitely want to present here, because it’s as large as can be,’” said Tjie. “I like the transition from a small group to a larger group.”
In addition to presenting their own work, IC students who attended the conference were introduced to high-level research being done by other undergraduates in a multitude of fields all over the country.
“It makes me feel more confident,” said Tjie. “When I talked to some of the other students, sometimes I wasn’t very sure about what the topic was, but I asked questions and it made me more comfortable discussing things that I’m not familiar with.”
Transportation to the conference, as well as food and housing, were organized for the students by Ithaca College.
Created in 1987, NCUR promotes undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity across all fields of study.