Four students from Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, participated in the 2006 Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia on April 21 and 22.
“The student presenters are sometimes nervous beforehand, but they are always very glad they did participate,” said Dr. Elizabeth Davis, professor of English and chair of the Department of English and Foreign Languages. “The conference encourages students to extend and deepen their research as they prepare papers for a state-wide audience, allows them to practice their professional speaking skills in a supportive environment, and broadens their academic horizons as they hear the types of research that students at other Arkansas institutions are doing.”
Janeth Derrickson, a senior Spanish education major from Magnolia, presented “Longing for the Life in the Countryside in Three Poets from China, England, and Spain.” Her faculty mentors were Dr. Yonghu Dai, Dr. Elba Birmingham-Pokorny, and Davis. Dai is an assistant professor of Spanish, and Pokorny is a professor of Spanish.
Teresa Gaus Lafitte, a junior agriculture sciences major from Beaumont, Texas, presented “Problems in the Delivery of the U.S. Food Stamp Program.” Her faculty mentor was Dr. Pierre I. Boumtje, assistant professor of agriculture economics.
Aicha Lompo, a senior French major from the Bronx, N.Y., presented “Women’s Role in the Fight for Independence: A Reading of Sembene Ousmane’s ‘God’s Bits of Woods.’” Her faculty mentor was Dr. Martine Boumtje, assistant professor of French.
Lindsay Welsh, a senior English education major from Taylor, presented “Critical Choices: Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and Zora Neale Huston’s ‘Sweat.’” Her faculty mentor was Davis.
The student presenters were accompanied to the conference by Dr. Leo Carson Davis, Dr. Elizabeth Davis, and Dr. Martine Boumtje.
“Research opens an arena for critical educational growth, allowing students to search for answers in a standard, controlled, and reliable way,” said Boumtje. “The undergraduate research conference allows students to carry out their process of discovery.”
The Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference is an annual event offering students in all disciplines the opportunity to share their research with peers from across the state of Arkansas.
“If students wish to progress beyond just a bachelor’s degree, they need three things: good grades, good recommendations, and a record of presentations and publications,” said Dr. Leo Carson Davis, professor of geology and geography. “The AURC gives students a good opportunity for a presentation and perhaps even a publication.”
