Studying the economics of an eco-friendly resort in Belize. Learning how mathematics can describe biology. Traveling to a monastery in New York to see how Russian Orthodoxy in the United States survived communism during the 20th century.
The stories that student research experiences have generated are abundant at the University of New Hampshire. See what students are investigating in the 2012 edition of Inquiry journal, which is now available to read online.
Inquiry, the multi-disciplinary journal for undergraduate research at UNH, is published online annually in April. The journal features articles and personal commentaries about research experiences from current UNH students and alumni.
Published on April 26, the 2012 edition is the eighth issue of the journal.
Authors and editors spend nearly six months writing and revising articles so that they are ready to share with a broad, international audience. From the academic community to the general educated reader, people from all backgrounds can learn from the articles published in Inquiry, even though some may contain specialized, technical information.
Kate Early, a fifth-year hospitality management major at UNH, spent nine weeks last summer researching green tourism at the Hamanasi eco-resort in Belize. Her project was funded by the university’s International Research Opportunities Program, and it allowed her to discover how the resort manages “profit, planet and people” through sustainable tourism practices. For example, instead of traditional hotel rooms, the resort makes use of “tree houses” that preserve the natural habitat.
Other articles featured in this issue of Inquiry include research findings from students in nursing, history, economics, kinesiology and mechanical engineering.
Theresa Conn, who is studying environmental conservation studies, completed an internship on the Cape Cod National Seashore last summer that allowed her to teach beachgoers about piping plovers, a threatened shorebird. Conn wrote a commentary for Inquiry about her involvement in increasing the awareness of these birds.
Through the Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program, history and philosophy double major Cory McKenzie visited the Holy Trinity Monastery in Upstate New York. He conducted interviews that would help him understand how the traditions of the monastery kept the Russian Orthodox Church alive during communist persecution in the 20th century.
This year’s feature article, written by Jacqueline Cordell, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the UNH Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research, which provides grants and resources to support student research outside the classroom. In fact, Inquiry journal is made possible by the Hamel Center (www.unh.edu/undergrad-research).
The Inquiry staff consists of two part-time senior editors and one or two assistant editors. However, the journal depends upon a volunteer board of student editors that consists of undergraduates who represent the various disciplines of the university. These student editors gain skills in interviewing, writing and teamwork.
The student author’s research project and writing of the article is under the direction of a faculty mentor. In each issue, the journal profiles two university professors who have been instrumental in encouraging student research and mentoring Inquiry authors.
Students learn first-hand from the successes and difficulties of the research process. Being able to communicate their experiences to a general audience is the final, but one of the most important, steps in this process. Inquiry provides a forum for students to share their research.
Read Inquiry on the web:
