Students Broadcast Science Research

Undergraduate scientists put aside their lab coats on Saturday afternoon, donning suits and black “got research?” T-shirts as they mingled in the Science Center atrium for the Harvard Undergraduate Research Symposium.

The symposium, organized by members of the newly formed Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association, provided a venue for students to present and discuss the scientific research they had performed.

“We want to give undergraduates the chance to be the ones answering questions instead of asking questions,” said Shiv M. Gaglani ’10, the group’s founding president.

About 50 students displayed their research at the symposium.

“There is no point in doing research unless you broadcast it,” said Andrew Berry, a concentration adviser in the life sciences.

Five of the undergraduates presenting at the symposium also gave short talks about their research.

Theodore R. Pak ’09, who spoke about his research on DNA sequence repeats, said that Harvard provides ample funding and opportunities for student research.

“Whatever you’re interested in, there is generally someone working on it,” Pak said. “It’s a great time to see what you like and find out what’s interesting you.”

Another student, Sophie Rengarajan ’10, presented the work she did at Caltech last summer to study the effects of smells on neurons.

“I think [research] really exposes you to a side of science you can’t get in the classroom,” Rengarajan said. “It allows students to be a lot more creative.”

Attendees also heard speeches from three professional researchers.

Edward J. Benz Jr., president and CEO of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, drew from his own experiences as an undergraduate at Princeton and as a student at Harvard Medical School to emphasize the importance of finding good mentors. He also encouraged students to pursue careers in academic medicine.

Thomas M. Michel ’77, the director of human biology and translational medicine at the Harvard Medical School, and Gregory A. Llacer, the director of the Harvard Program for Research in Science and Engineering Gregory, also spoke at the event.

Shantanu K. Gaur ’08 organized the first-ever Harvard Undergraduate Research Symposium last year, but passed the responsibility for this weekend’s event on to the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association, which was approved as a student group in April.