So last Thursday through Saturday was the glorious three-day stint of NCUR – the National Conference for Undergraduate Research – in Salisbury, Maryland. Where? Salisbury, Maryland. Yes my people, you might have to get on a double-propeller plane to get there, you might have to cross the highway to eat at the only open restaurant at 11pm (thank god for Denny’s) and there might be a random cemetery sandwiched between the parking lot of the Microtel and Food Lion; but, for 2500 presentations on everything from unpronouncable proteins to the exploring the Jew steroetype in “Scrubs,” you will surely find something to tickle your fancy and distract you from your hunger.
The way NCUR is set up, is it’s divided into a series of 80 minute sessions. There are oral sessions, where folks read a paper and/or use a powerpoint, poster sessions, where mostly science people discuss their displayed research to passersby, and finally there are performance sessions, where you can rediscover Guthrie in a sound-proof room. Additionally, every day there is a plenary speaker who speaks for an hour giving inspiration from her/his career. To top it off, lunch is free during the conference, and there’s even a beach party (with real imported sand! Hoo-ah) on Friday evening with free dinner and free photos in the mouth of a cut-out shark. Go NCUR go!
April 14, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Yeah…I’ve been through Salisbury…keyword is “through”