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Expert Research for a Non-Expert Audience

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Photo by Rob Johnson

Research presentations could become a regular part of your job if you pursue a career in a science field. BYU’s Student Research Conference (SRC) gives students a chance to prepare for that responsibility.

This year marks the thirtieth annual SRC at the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at BYU. One of the main goals of the conference is to provide a practice venue for student research presentations. At SRC, students can showcase their research in a less intimidating environment than a professional conference or job setting.

Sean Flynn, a graduate student from Salt Lake City, was named the winner of one of the computer science sessions. Flynn has been conducting research in the area of fluid dynamics.

“It’s a good chance to prepare the current state of your research,” Flynn said. “It’s a place where I can go and present in front of people that I know and have some confidence.”

Clayton Moss, a chemistry major and a session winner, said that he appreciated the chance to hear questions from the judges and audience members. Moss’ research involves terahertz spectroscopy.

“You think you know it [your research] pretty well, but you can’t always anticipate the questions they [the audience] will ask,” Moss said. “I think that’s also a good purpose of it: so that you can see what directions you want to take your research next.”

Both students expect to be doing research presentations as part of their professions, and appreciated the chance to practice articulating their research at SRC.

The event featured over four hundred student presentations. Only a few were named session winners, but each received valuable experience in preparing for more crucial presentations in the future.  Click here to view all the 2016 SRC session winners.

If you missed the 2016 conference, plan to attend next year’s conference on Saturday, March 4, 2017 from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Jesse Knight Building.