Taylor Griffith presents at UW-Whitewater Undergraduate Research Day

2018 Apr 6

Taylor Griffith, from Lake Elsinore, Calif., recently presented at Undergraduate Research Day at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Warhawks put the finishing touches on a diverse array of research projects and presented their findings on Thursday, March 22, in the James R. Connor University Center Hamilton Room.

Griffith, who is studying economics and mathematics, presented the following project(s): The Effect of Gang Prevalence on Academic Achievement of Area Children .

Projects ranged from economics, social work and psychology to performing and creative art pieces. Many of the students have been preparing their research and working alongside their faculty mentors for a year or more.

"Students really take ownership of their learning when they engage in undergraduate research. They learn how to find solutions to problems or questions that are important to them, and they practice communicating their work and its significance to people who may not be in their field of expertise. These are important skills to acquire as students prepare for their careers beyond college," said Catherine Chan, director of the Undergraduate Research Program.

As a longstanding UW-Whitewater event, Undergraduate Research Day has grown not only in numbers, but in the quality and the array of the research being presented.

"I've witnessed a lot of growth in the variety of the projects being presented," said Chan. "There are more team-based projects now, and more interdisciplinary projects being developed. There are also an increasing number of projects that include community partners or explicitly address issues in the community."