[media-credit name=’MEGHAN CONLIN/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Undergraduate student researchers from 22 University of Wisconsin System schools presented their findings during a public event at the Capitol Tuesday.

"Posters in the Rotunda: A Celebration of Undergraduate Research" brought more than 150 student researchers to the Capitol Rotunda to display their research posters and led Gov. Jim Doyle to proclaim April 25, 2006, "Undergraduate Research Day."

"The UW System research, without a doubt, contributes to a strong economic base in the state of Wisconsin," David Walsh, president of the UW Board of Regents, said. "And expanding this university research will bring a cycle of benefits."

Walsh added investing in the university system with strong research will help attract prominent researchers and research grants. He noted it will also benefit the students by creating high-paying, high-skilled jobs and will persuade students to remain in Wisconsin to work after college.

UW System President Kevin Reilly echoed Walsh's connection of undergraduate research to state benefits and wanted students to realize their hard work does not go unnoticed.

"It's clear the whole state can reap numerous benefits by supporting our students at the university in these kinds of endeavors," Reilly said. "And I look forward in the coming budget session to working with the governor and the Legislature to help ensure that our sons and daughters in Wisconsin in the future will be able to follow in the footsteps of the bright, young stars in the rotunda today."

Dr. Tina Sauerhammer, a graduate of both UW-Madison and UW-Green Bay and currently in residence at UW Hospital, stressed the importance of curiosity, perseverance and communication in doing research.

"Once the research is done and we have the results that we need, the final step is to disseminate our research findings and knowledge through various avenues," Sauerhammer said. "Publishing papers, presenting data and even presenting posters are all excellent ways of getting our newfound knowledge out there for the world to see."

The research projects represented a wide range of academic fields and concentrations. Projects included research about such varying topics as mold growth, bias in scientific journalism and economic policies.

Some projects even had patents pending on their inventions.

UW-Stout students Sara Barnes, Stephanie Herbert, Melissa Long and Laura Oliver developed a protective garment called the "Turtleback Jacket" in their functional clothing design class after recognizing overcrowding in homeless shelters.

"We were given an assignment to choose a situation and create an article of clothing that could morph into at least three different things and meet the needs of that person up to three days," Herbert said. "We wanted to do something that would help people in need."

Long added that the jacket could be used for camping, extreme sports, a children's toy and the military.

Other projects were done solely for a grade but uncovered data to further future research.

Lee Hrarby, a student at UW-Manitowoc, tested the difference in blood-glucose levels caused by drinking regular soda versus diet soda for his human anatomy and physiology class. He noted there are a lot of high-sugar diets in America today, and he was testing how increased blood-glucose levels from drinking soda contribute to diabetes.

"I think classes that are following [mine] are sort of following my data with blood-glucose levels," Hrarby said. "But there's no funding or anything like that; just a class project."

Yet Walsh sees the more than 100 class projects displayed in the Rotunda as something to be proud of, and he urged continued support of undergraduate research.

"We must, together with Gov. Doyle, step forward and continue the investment of this great system that will allow for more days like the 'Posters in the Rotunda,'" he said.