UROP event highlights undergrad research, faculty mentors

More than 800 students participated in UCI’s 16th annual Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program symposium Saturday, May 19, with oral presentations, dance performances and poster sessions on everything from “The Perception of Male Sex Roles in Media” to “Growing & Extracting Biofuel from Algae.” Sharon Salinger, dean of undergraduate education, and Said Shokair, UROP director, oversee the program, in which students expand and perfect their research and creative skills with guidance from more than 350 faculty mentors. The daylong event included a keynote address by Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychology & social behavior, and presentation of the 2012 Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. Faculty and student honorees follow.

• Claire Trevor School of the Arts: Lisa Naugle, professor and chair of dance, and Jaque Lenhard

• School of Biological Sciences: Celia Goulding, assistant professor of molecular biology & biochemistry, and Tiffanie Do

• The Henry Samueli School of Engineering: Farghalli Mohamed, professor of chemical engineering & materials science, and Sean Burke

• School of Humanities: Julia Lupton, professor of English, and Kimberly Lucas

• Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences: Melissa Mazmanian, assistant professor of informatics, and Minhnhut Vo

• School of Medicine: Frances Leslie, Graduate Division dean, and Christine Feng

• School of Physical Sciences: Sergey Nizkorodov, professor of chemistry, and Arturo Vargas

• School of Social Ecology: Joanne Frattaroli-Zinger, psychology & social behavior instructor/lecturer, and Lori Harris

• School of Social Sciences: Robert Uriu, associate professor of political science, and Linett Chevez