When he has time away from tracking the migration of Pacific islanders by studying a commonly found virus, Joshua Hvidding spends his time on church activities and rebuilding old cars with his family. Undergrad symposium
showcases UH research40 students from the honors and
research programs will speakBy Treena Shapiro
Star-BulletinSummers are out, though, because the 21-year-old University of Hawaii student has spent those at Yale and Vanderbilt universities on medical research internships and will soon leave for another summer program at the University of California San Francisco.
And compared to these big-name schools, Hvidding says the undergraduate research experience at UH is underrated. "Going there and coming back, I thought, 'Hey, UH isn't too bad, it's actually pretty good,'" he said.
As a Research I university, UH-Manoa offers opportunities for its undergraduates to perform research in the field, lab and library. Hvidding will be among 40 undergraduates presenting the outcomes of their studies at the Symposium and Exhibit of Undergraduate Research at UH-Manoa's Campus Center tomorrow.
Originally planned as an opportunity for students in the honors program to showcase their research, this year the symposium has expanded to include undergraduate researchers from the Space Grant and Sea Grant college programs, the Marine Option Program and the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
Students will present papers and posters from a variety of disciplines: biology, theater, computer animation, genetics, literature, physical fitness, eating disorders, economics and creative writing, among others.
Jim Caron, director of the honors program, calls the event a "capstone experience" for those who have been involved in the program since they entered the university. For others, the symposium is a culmination of three semesters of research and a preview of graduate school.
Frank Perkins, vice president for research and graduate education, said UH offers undergraduates "many more opportunities (to do research) by virtue of the fact that we have large amounts of money coming in for grants and contracts," noting that research programs alone brought in $103 million last year.
Undergraduates can get involved with research by making contacts with the appropriate faculty and administrators, but there are special opportunities, such as the honors program, that can help students get a jump start.
Hvidding, a junior, wrote his honors seminar paper from the work he is doing through the Minority Access to Research Careers program.
Working under an investigative researcher, Hvidding analyzed urine samples from hundreds of Pacific islanders for the JC virus, which he used as a migration marker to confirm the widely held belief that Pacific migration originated in Asia.
The project will be used as a stepping stone to study a brain-deteriorating disease, he said.
Initially, Hvidding said, he was unsure of himself in the laboratory but that is where his faculty mentor comes in.
"You're carrying out his ideas, but later on as you understand what's going on, you get to make your own decisions," he said. "It's a good learning experience."
Ka Leo O Hawaii
University of Hawaii
