The Wisconsin Capitol building will once again find itself full of young researchers today eager to present their findings to state leaders.

More than 80 undergraduates from schools throughout the University of Wisconsin System will present their projects inside the Capitol Rotunda. This is the fifth year for the program entitled Posters in the Rotunda: A Celebration of Undergraduate Research.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., students will present their research to legislators, alumni and other supporters. Research topics vary widely and are not limited to any particular field.

This year the event will begin with a symposium highlighting the value of undergraduate research. Nancy Hensel, executive director of the Council on Undergraduate Research in Washington, D.C., will be featured in the Legislative Symposium, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, and Rep. Steve Wieckert, R-Appleton.

?We?re excited to have all of these students come ? it?s a very inspiring day in the Capitol where our legislators get to see firsthand the quality work done by our students and the high caliber of work they can do,? UW System spokesperson David Giroux said. ?It?s a good opportunity to educate people about what happens in a university.?

According to Giroux, the event will be very educational for the people who attend.

?People can spend time speaking with students and looking at posters and they will come away with a much clearer picture of what happens at the university level and how students are committed to academic excellence,? Giroux said.

A team of students from UW-Madison will be presenting a project for the class Biomedical Engineering 402. Members of the team include David Schurter, Jon Sass, Marty Grasse, Ben Schoepke and Arin Ellingson.

They have designed a catheter and valve-based system used to address urinary incontinence. Their project won first prize at the Schoofs Design Competition earlier this year, and the final product will be presented in the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Accessible Medical Instrumentation National Design Competition.

?It offers a unique opportunity to positively affect the lives of millions of people,? Schurter said. ?It will be a great opportunity to network with our state legislators and also give students a chance to see the exciting work being done.

The Posters in the Rotunda program is a takeoff of the Posters on the Hill program in Washington, D.C. For a complete schedule of events and presenters, visit www.wisconsin.edu/posters/p>