Invested in Learning

CURCE Fall Fair Showcases Hands-On Opportunities for Students

Students get information from faculty and student researchers at last year's Fall Fair. This year's will be held Wednesday in the Campus Center Ballroom. (Photos by Paul Miller)

More than 40 departments, centers and labs will be represented at Wednesday's Fall Fair.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 9, 2018) — The University at Albany offers students multiple opportunities to grow, expand their studies and become successful. For those looking to become involved in research, scholarships and/or creative activities here on campus, the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (CURCE) is here to help.

On Wednesday from 3:30-6 p.m., the annual Fall Fair will be held in the Campus Center Ballroom, providing students with information about internships, field experience, open positions with faculty and researchers and much more.

“This year, over 40 academic departments, research centers, institutes, labs and university offices and units will be on hand to help students better understand what steps they can take to get involved,” said Casey Kohler, assistant to the vice provost and dean for undergraduate education. “We recognize that student engagement in activities like research has an impact on student success and that these experiential learning opportunities complement and reinforce knowledge acquired by our students in the classroom. The fair provides a venue for students to network with faculty, staff and researchers so that they can take the next step in becoming involved.”

At the fair, students will have the chance to speak with representatives from the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity; the departments of Sociology, Computer Science, Anthropology, Political Science, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering and many more. The annual fair has become so popular, in fact, with over 500 students attending in Fall 2017, that this year the event is a full hour longer.

“We’ve continued to expand the Fall Fair over the past several years. This would not be possible without faculty members making a concerted effort to engage undergraduates in their research and scholarly pursuits,” said Kohler.

Christopher Wolff, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, is looking forward to meeting with students at the fair on Wednesday and sharing opportunities regarding independent studies and field projects.

“My biggest hope for the fair is just to show students the kind of variety of things that we’re doing within our department and some of the ways they can get involved as undergrads even in some of our research projects,” Wolff said. “At our table, we’ll have some information about the various research projects that are going on in our department, we’ll have some slides on a computer showing some of our field projects so that they can get an idea of the diversity of things that we’re looking at in the anthropology department.”

If CURCE sounds unfamiliar to you, that’s because the name of the center has been changed from Undergraduate Research back in September. The decision to do so was to promote inclusivity of all majors, minors and concentrations, which the Center hopes is evident at this year’s fair. Whether you’re an English major or studying atmospheric sciences, there will be a booth with information available for you to stop by.

“We look forward to providing our students with myriad choices and options for their pursuit of undergraduate research, and we know that they will enjoy learning about those opportunities first hand from the researchers, faculty and scholars at our Fall Fair,” said Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education Jeanette Altarriba.

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