More students attended the second-ever Honors College Research Conference on Oct. 23 than last year, but organizers said they are still working on ways to make next year’s event more accessible.
The conference allows honors students to get guidance on their future projects from faculty mentors and see examples from students who completed their projects, said Jennie Popp, associate dean of the Honors College.
Popp and Honors College officials decided to create the event last year because many students asked for help with how to tackle their thesis projects, she said. All UA Honors students must research and defend a thesis before they graduate.
“It’s the number one reason why students drop honors,” Popp said, “because they’re afraid to address that issue.”
Michael Zachary, technical director for the Honors College, agreed that many students are turned off by the idea of the project and end up quitting, he said.
“Our students really look at this as a giant mountain to climb, the thesis process,” Zachary said. “so what we’re trying to do is kind of demystify that.”
Honors directors from six different undergraduate colleges attended to give students an idea of what a thesis in their field might look like, according to the Honors College website. The directors would also help students find an adviser that best fit their project.
Popp said she thinks that the number of students at the conference was even higher this year than last.
Eventually, Popp would like to extend the event over an entire week, giving students multiple chances to get information about the work ahead of them, she said.
Katie Wilson, associate director of Student Success for Honors, thinks that the major focus for organizers next year will be communicating with students. She said that was the hardest part this year.
The organizers were able to communicate with the students who signed up in advance for the event, but may have failed to reach others who simply walked in on the day of the conference, Wilson said.
“Lots of students do not plan ahead and so the students who just show up, I don’t think know what’s going on and don’t have a schedule,” Wilson said.
Despite communication problems, Wilson was pleased with the students who presented their nearly completed theses compared to last year, she said.
“Last year we had a lot of students who were alum or graduate students, and this year we have quite a few more current seniors,” Wilson said.
While she thinks the conference was successful, Wilson would like to provide more online resources or a supplement for Honors students working on their projects, she said.
“We would like to have more concrete resources that students can look at in the middle of the night when they’re panicking about their thesis project, instead of a Tuesday afternoon right after fall break when it might be the last thing on their mind,” Wilson said.
Popp thinks that there are two major takeaways for students who attended the conference, she said.
“Number one: Research isn’t scary, it’s inspiring and enjoyable,” Popp said. “And Number two: It’s never too early to get started.”