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Every two years, when the House is in session, public universities are invited to showcase the undergraduate research, with a poster presentation at the Capitol in Austin. Undergraduate Research Day (UGRD) and is hosted at the Capitol in Austin by the Council of Public University Presidents & Chancellors (CPUPC). CPUPC is a council comprised of the chief executive officers of the Texas public general academic universities, system offices, health-related institutions, and the three two-year state colleges in the Houston area.

Each state university in Texas runs a selection process for choosing one student representative to join the event in Austin. At ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University, the Advisory Board of the Office of Undergraduate Research (O.U.R.) does the selection.  Out of five finalists, David Matherne, a biology major, rose to the top with a physics project: “Modelling Fast Interplanetary Magnetic Clouds”, with mentors Dr. Evgeny Romashets and Dr. Cristian Bahrim. This was a project completed under the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (S.U.R.F.) program in 2022. David’s research offers a new model in the field of Geospace science for the propagation of interplanetary magnetic clouds through Heliosphere with a geomagnetic impact on Earth.

At this event, David was accompanied by Dr. Jerry Lin, the Associate Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ, and Dr. Cristian Bahrim, Director O.UR. and David’s mentor. David presented his research to professors, administrators from public universities and peers from 75 schools in Texas.

David is an outstanding student who has worked very hard to build a strong research project under the S.U.R.F. 2022 program. David successfully presented preliminary results at two venues before going to Austin: The First Texas Environmental Health Association (TEHA) conference hosted in Round Rock, organized by the Environmental Health Specialties, Inc., where he received the award for Best Presentation. In addition to the 10th Texas STEM conference, where David was awarded first place for Best Undergraduate Research Poster.

When asked about his experience in Austin David stated, “My experience at the Texas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol was not only enjoyable, but also incredibly valuable. It was an amazing opportunity for me to meet and interact with highly influential individuals such as politicians and heads of research at various universities. During the event, I was given the chance to present my research to them and listened to the research projects of other students from different Texas universities. Aside from the research-related activities, I also got the chance to explore the Capitol and observe congressional sessions, which was truly an enriching experience. All these experiences have left me feeling grateful for the opportunity to participate in this event, and I extend my thanks to ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University, the Office of Undergraduate Research, and especially to Dr. Bahrim for enabling me to participate in this enriching experience that will undoubtedly help me in my future academic pursuits.”

Learn more about ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University’s Office of Undergraduate Research.