CEDAR CITY – Every year, undergraduate students from all disciplines and all of the state’s colleges and universities come together at the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research where they celebrate academic, professional and personal achievements resulting from undergraduate research projects or creative endeavors.

This year’s conference was Friday and took place at Southern Utah University.

Despite difficult economic times, more than 250 undergraduates and their faculty mentors converged on SUU. Presenters included students from Brigham Young University, Dixie State College, Salt Lake Community College, University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, Weber State University and, of course, Southern Utah University.

No less than 26 of the almost 200 presentations were from SUU, representing the fields of biology, chemistry, dance, education, geology, nutrition, physics and psychology.

Lynn White, director of SUU’s Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Program, said, in all likelihood, many of the students who presented will continue to become some of our country’s future leaders and scholars within their respective disciplines.

The conference was in SUU’s Sharwan Smith Center and opened with a welcome address by SUU Provost Brad Cook in the Student Center Ballroom. UCUR activities and presentations ran throughout the day, concluding with a closing reception in the afternoon.