{"id":124543,"date":"2020-08-07T16:06:38","date_gmt":"2020-08-08T02:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=124543"},"modified":"2021-08-31T15:45:44","modified_gmt":"2021-09-01T01:45:44","slug":"virtual-symposium-record-participants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/08\/07\/virtual-symposium-record-participants\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual symposium draws record number of participants"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Students presented projects related to the Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearly 100 University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa undergraduate students who conducted faculty-mentored research and creative work in various disciplines showcased their projects at the 2020 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Symposium<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Normally an annual in-person event hosted by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program<\/a> (UROP<\/abbr>), this year\u2019s first-ever virtual format still gave students an opportunity to present their work and receive feedback from peers, experts and community members.<\/p>\n

“We believe that providing a relaxed, yet professional atmosphere allowed the presenters to gain confidence in presenting their work and broaden their perspectives by interacting with other researchers and creatives,” UROP<\/abbr> Coordinator Seung Yang<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n

The virtual symposium, held on July 31, drew more than 180 guests and 15 staff and volunteers. UROP<\/abbr> Coordinator Jessie Chen<\/strong> said one unanticipated surprise was that the number of student presenters quickly surpassed numbers for the past two years, including a request from outside of UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n

“The virtual format allowed us to expand the capacity of the event to serve UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa students off campus and to increase access to one of the few, if not the only, discipline-wide undergraduate research and creative work symposia during summer 2020 in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>,” Chen said.<\/p>\n

Faculty mentored projects<\/h2>\n

Students presented on topics including developing a mobile application to engage Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> students in computer science education, sharing music education through Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds and examining the effect of ahupuaʻa<\/span> restoration efforts in Loko Iʻa<\/span> o Heʻeia<\/span>.<\/p>\n