Marking the largest turnout in the event’s history, 175 undergraduate students showcased their research and creative works yesterday at the annual Undergraduate Research Colloquium in Corwin Pavilion.

Organized by the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Office, the yearly colloquium provides undergraduate students the opportunity to discuss their research with fellow students and faculty. Students participating in the exhibit were chosen by a faculty panel and received awards from the URCA office. The projects were displayed on poster boards, each explaining the student’s research topic and the methods they used to reach their conclusions.

Michael Miller, director of development for the Dept. of Social Sciences, said this year’s showcase surpassed all expectations.

“[There was] an amazing turnout,” Miller said. “[It was great] to see the type of work students are doing and how they will impact the future.”

Timothy Rodriguez, a fourth-year computer science major in the College of Creative Studies, displayed his research, which focused on mimicking the brain to solve tasks with artificial intelligence. The event, he said, was quite an experience.

“I enjoyed doing it instead of dreaming it,” Rodriguez said. “[This] colloquium is also unnerving and exciting because it is open to critique.”

UCSB lecturer Phillip Conrad, Rodriguez’s supervisor, said the colloquium is a good opportunity for students to build their portfolios.

“I am hoping that this event will strengthen his chances of being admitted to graduate school,” Conrad said.

Jose Luis Garcia, a first-year business economics major who partook in the event, said the colloquium was both fun and educational.

“It was entertaining, and I learned a lot about the undergraduate research at UCSB,” Garcia said. “There were a wide range of topics from the cloning of E. coli to police harassment on Mexican youth.”

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