COLUMBIA, S.C. — Undergraduate student researchers from South Carolina’s private colleges and universities showcased their 2023 project findings at the Feb. 22, 2024 SCICU Research Symposium hosted by Milliken & Company at their Spartanburg Customer Center.
Thirty-one undergraduates representing 13 SCICU member colleges and universities presented research findings for 26 projects at the 2024 symposium. Project topics ranged from the hard sciences of biology and chemistry to foreign languages, theater, mental health, and the legacies of Bernard Baruch, Belle Baruch, and Hobcaw Barony in Georgetown County, S.C. Students presented their findings via 10-minute multi-media presentations or four-minute poster presentations. Please click here to view photo highlights from the presentations.
“The Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program and Symposium give students the rare opportunity to conduct graduate level research and present it in a professional setting,” said Jeff Perez, SCICU president and CEO. “We’re deeply grateful for the faculty members who work with the students and mentor them.”
Milliken has hosted SCICU’s research symposiums over the last 10 years, but the relationship between the two organizations is decades-long. Since SCICU’s founding in 1953, Milliken has supported South Carolina’s private college advocacy organization. Former Milliken president and CEO Roger Milliken was named a SCICU Life Trustee in 1991, commemorating his many years of service on the SCICU board. In recent years, Milliken’s support of SCICU aligns with the company’s core values of excellence, innovation, and people.
The special relationship between SCICU and Milliken is especially important in undergraduate research. The Milliken & Company Charitable Foundation provided original seed money to start the SCICU Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research program in 1995.
“We at SCICU are grateful for our long relationship with Milliken & Company,” said Perez. “Over the years, Milliken has provided more than $4 million in support to SCICU for member colleges and universities. Milliken’s work with our undergraduate research program has helped many SCICU students gain their first exposure to professional research and presentations, experience which will serve them well in post-graduate career development.”
The February 2024 SCICU Research Symposium is the culmination of year-long research projects conducted during 2023 by SCICU students. Research project funding is awarded through a process very similar to that of professional grants. Students and their faculty mentors submit project proposals to a faculty subject-area expert panel, and the panel independently selects projects for funding by the SCICU Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program.
Milliken’s Chief Marketing Officer Danna Vetter welcomed SCICU students and faculty to the company’s Customer Center for the Feb. 22 symposium. Vetter also serves on the SCICU Board of Trustees.
“Our team at Milliken is fueled by the promise of delivering innovations that will make the world a better place,” said Vetter. “We’re proud to partner with SCICU in support of the next generation of researchers who are the future of our critical work.”
SCICU also thanks the following donors for their generous support of the 2023 Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program and the 2024 Research Symposium:
- Allegiance Industries
- Belle W. Baruch Foundation
- BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
- CapinCrouse LLP
- The Daniel-Mickel Foundation
- Milliken & Company
- Mills B. Lane Foundation
- Sodexo
- SCICU Endowment Fund
- S.C. Student Loan Corporation
- Varsity Health LLC
“Generous donors and supporters helped SCICU award more than $107,000 in support to student research projects conducted in 2023,” said Emma Reabold, SCICU vice president for development and campus services. “We also greatly appreciate the support of Power:Ed, the philanthropic arm of the S.C. Student Loan Corporation, for $25,000 in funding that was given to encourage student research engagement among our five member HBCUs.”
SCICU also celebrated the 2024 Research Symposium via social media. Please click here to follow SCICU’s Twitter coverage of the presentations. Additional coverage for the Feb. 22 SCICU Research Symposium is also available on the SCICU Facebook page.
SCICU 2024 Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program
SCICU’s research program evaluation committee is preparing to review funding proposals received from students and faculty on SCICU campuses. Project funding awards will be announced after the committee considers all proposals, and student research will begin after the announcement.
Research activity will end in mid-December 2024, and students will prepare their findings for presentations on February 20, 2025, again hosted by Milliken & Company at their Spartanburg Customer Center.
Support opportunities for SCICU-funded undergraduate student research
Opportunities are now available for supporting student research projects to be conducted in 2025. Emma Reabold, SCICU vice president for development and campus services, welcomes the opportunity to discuss research sponsorships with all entities interested in supporting professional development for undergraduate student researchers. Please call Emma today at 803-799-7122 or email her at emma@scicu.org.
Photo highlights from the Feb. 22 SCICU Undergraduate Research Symposium