The International Undergraduate Research Symposia (IURS) provide opportunities for undergraduate students to do research, thereby increasing the likelihood that students will continue on for graduate work in the sciences. The Fulbright Academy is supporting this series of annual symposium where undergraduate students from institutions of higher education in the United States and other countries can present their research. The symposium is part of a two-week long interdisciplinary course on research methodologies.
To date, undergraduates from the USA, Ecuador, and the Philippines have participated. The January 2008 program was hosted by the Pontifical Catholic University in Ecuador, with participants from PUCE and Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio. The January 2009 symposium and course was hosted by Wilmington College, which is located outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. The January 2010 program will be at Visayas State University in the Philippines.
The following institutions were presented at the opening reception of the inaugural symposium, held in Quito, Ecuador: Asociación Nacional de Cultivadores de Palma Africana • Escuela Superior Politecnica de Chimborazo • Fulbright Commission in Ecuador • Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador • Pervolare • Red Partner, SA • Universidad San Francisco de Quito • US Embassy in Quito • Boston University • Emory University • Louisiana State University • University of Delaware • University of Goettingen • Wilmington College
OUTCOMES FROM IURS #1:
- Creation of a two-week interdisciplinary course on research methodologies, which included site visits to farms and research centers in western Ecuador. Tourism also was part of the program, including a hike up to 14,000 feet on Cotopaxi, the volcano outside of Quito.
- A model for future seminars in other countries.
- Public outreach - Reception with over 100 local and visiting scientists, business executives, researchers, and government officials. Fourteen undergraduate students presented their research in the poster session on topics such as soils, frogs, oil palms, fruit flies, and heavy metals.
- Collaboration among four entities: PUCE, FAST, Wilmington College and the Fulbright Commission in Ecuador. “An Encounter to Promote Cultural and Scientific Interaction Between students, Faculty and the Local Community” had three components – a research symposium, a forum on environmental assessment, and a poster session.
- Click here for a one-page summary of the First IURS.
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