May on the Dartmouth campus is marked by a series of events that celebrate undergraduate research, scholarship, and creativity. Ignited by the spark of discovery, students engage in the generation of new knowledge, intellectual achievement, and artistry. These events provide opportunities for students to share the fruits of their endeavors.

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A series of campus events will highlight undergraduate research and creativity.

Undergraduate research, scholarship, and creativity are interactive enterprises in which students and faculty participate. The scheduled events share the common goal of increasing an awareness of these undertakings during the year. These gatherings celebrate independent initiatives by students in collaboration with faculty, and encourage underclassmen and prospective students to pursue research and scholarship opportunities.

A selection of student profiles is available online at Celebrating Extraordinary Dartmouth Students.

As part of this year’s celebration, the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research in collaboration with the President’s Office has released a new video:

Remote video URL

The video highlights the range of student projects as well as the students’ excitement about the process of creating new knowledge. As Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences Michael Mastanduno notes in the video, “At Dartmouth, I think we have a pretty simple formula for success. We take extraordinary undergraduates and we give them access to faculty members who are dedicated teachers and mentors but also leading scholars in their respective fields.”

Schedule of Events

President’s Undergraduate Research Symposium

• Wednesday, May 22, Berry Library Main Corridor, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
• Posters highlighting honors theses from across the College will be presented by the students.

• Wednesday, May 22, 6 p.m.
• Following the Research Symposium, a dinner will honor members of the senior class who have completed an honors thesis, as well as Senior Fellows and newly elected members of Phi Beta Kappa. Faculty seated with their respective students will together celebrate the completion of their honors projects.

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Columbia University professor and MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Terry Plank ’85 is the keynote speaker for this year’s Wetterhahn Symposium. (Photo courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)

The Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science Turns 15

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As it celebrates its 15th Anniversary, the Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science (DUJS) exudes an air of professionalism that belies the youth of its staff. From its beginnings in 1998, the journal has matured into a print publication that appears three times a year along with a regularly updated online presence.

With an editorial group of 24 undergraduates along with more than a dozen other students involved in writing, design, layout, and editing, the DUJS rivals the size of the staffs of some mainstream publications. The journal’s success may be attributed in part to the guidance and counsel of an advisory board—drawn from across the campus—that includes 12 scientists, engineers and other professionals.

Its published mission statement says, “The Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science aims to increase scientific awareness within the Dartmouth community by providing an interdisciplinary forum for sharing undergraduate research and enriching scientific knowledge.”

With this ambitious and admirable goal, “the 15th anniversary is centered around its global outreach and how science students at Dartmouth can impact others around the world,” says Andy Zureick ’13, senior adviser. “We launched our International Science Essay Contest for high school students last year, and received over 80 submissions from 20 countries during Fall 2012. The DUJS also has expanded its readership, now distributing to over 20 universities and several countries overseas, including Tsinghua University in Beijing.”

DUJS says it welcomes submissions from any undergraduate with an enthusiasm for science and writing. To learn more, stop by the journal’s display table at the Wetterhahn Undergraduate Science Poster Symposium.

• Thursday, May 23, 4 p.m., Oopik Auditorium, Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center
• This is an occasion for the public to learn about cutting edge research and interact with undergraduates. The symposium honors the late Karen E. Wetterhahn, professor of chemistry and co-founder of the Women In Science Project (WISP).
• The symposium will begin with a keynote address by distinguished Dartmouth alumna, MacArthur “genius grant” recipient, and Columbia University professor Terry Plank ’85. At Dartmouth, Plank majored in earth sciences/geology. Her research focuses on tectonic plate collisions, which generate tremendous heat and are frequently associated with volcanoes. Her address will be “Under Volcanoes: What Drives Explosive Eruptions?”

• Thursday, May 23, 5 to 7 p.m., Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center
• A poster session will follow the keynote address, showcasing the research projects of more than 100 undergraduates across all of the sciences and engineering. This major campus event brings the science community together to celebrate the work and achievements of these students in a public way.

• Thursday, May 23, 4:30 p.m., the Moore Theater at the Hopkins Center for the Arts
• For more than 37 years, this annual event has been celebrating the achievements of student artists. It includes student performance vignettes from the past year as well as the presentation of awards. This year Bernice Johnson Reagon, the current visiting Montgomery Fellow and co-founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock, will be an honored guest speaker. Interim President Carol Folt will also make remarks. The ceremony signals to students, their families, faculty, donors, and staff that student arts achievement is an article of pride for Dartmouth and a central part of the Dartmouth experience. The event is free and open to the community.