A historic 723 undergraduates from the University of Georgia will showcase their research at the 26th annual CURO Symposium on April 7-8 at the Classic Center in downtown Athens — representing an increase of 100 students compared to the 2024 event.
Organized by the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, the 2025 CURO Symposium will kick off at 9:10 a.m. on April 7, featuring 181 oral presentations and 433 poster displays. The participating students are pursuing studies in 200 distinct majors. Together, they are engaging in research alongside 332 faculty members across 98 departments.
Throughout the two-day gathering, undergraduates will present either individually or as part of teams in oral and poster sessions. The subjects of this year’s presentations span a broad array of topics, including cloud security strategies, health literacy within higher education institutions, the characterization of mineral reactivity, isolation and surveillance of dormant parasites, and a historic street mapping initiative, among various others.
“The CURO Symposium offers an extraordinary chance to witness the influence of undergraduate research at UGA,” expressed Andrea Silletti, program coordinator for the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. “The participation rate for the symposium is unprecedented this year, largely due to the commitment of UGA faculty and the enthusiasm of our students. We are privileged to host this notable event each year and showcase the remarkable research taking place at UGA.”
CURO will commemorate the 2025 Symposium with several enhancements. Firstly, the symposium will commence earlier than in previous years to accommodate the higher volume of oral presentations. Secondly, it will feature an Introduction to Mentoring session for graduate students on Monday, April 7, from 1:50-2:40 p.m. in Athena Room D. Finally, the symposium will host a two-day Café CURO in Athena Room A, which will offer additional avenues for students, mentors, and others to engage in discussions about undergraduate research in a relaxed environment.
Lance Wells, Distinguished Research Professor and GRA Distinguished Investigator within the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and associate director of the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, will present the keynote speech at 3 p.m. on April 7 in Athena Ballroom E. The CURO mentoring awards, CURO best paper accolades, and UGA Libraries undergraduate research awards will also be presented during this session.
The poster session and reception will take place following at 4 p.m. Oral presentations will resume on Tuesday, April 9, at 9:35 a.m., concluding with the final session at 5:10 p.m. The complete program can be found online.
On both days of the symposium, a UGA bus labeled “Special” will offer transportation to the Classic Center, stopping at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, the Tate Student Center, and the Arch.
The CURO Symposium receives sponsorship from the Morehead Honors College, the Office of the President, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the Office of Instruction, the Office of Research, the Parents Leadership Council, the Graduate School, and the UGA Libraries. For additional details, please visit https://curo.uga.edu/symposium/.
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