November 22, 2003

Dear Colleagues and Guests:

Welcome to the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and to the 11^th annual Southern California Conference on Undergraduate Research (SCCUR). We are honored to have you here.

SCCUR promotes awareness of faculty-mentored undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activities as they exist in various disciplines and types of institutions. The conference fosters appreciation of the valuable role these collaborations play in enhancing undergraduate education. SCCUR aims to develop a multidisciplinary and multicultural community of researchers, scholars and artists linked by a common enthusiasm for learning and discovery.

This year’s conference features oral and poster presentations by more than 500 students who were mentored by close to 375 faculty mentors from 90 institutions in the Southern California region and other parts of the country. This stimulating daylong event promises to be exciting and educational, as research-related ideas are presented and discussed. In addition to student presentations, the conference will feature a keynote address by Dr. Oswald Steward, Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Neurobiology & Behavior, and Neurosurgery at UCI, faculty-led roundtable discussions at the lunch hour, and a reception.

UCI’s commitment to undergraduate research is demonstrated at the department and school level and through numerous campuswide programs. The most extensive of these programs is the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) in the Division of Undergraduate Education. Launched in 1995, UROP advises students on research opportunities on- and off-campus, provides funding in support of research-related supplies and expenses during the academic year through two calls for proposals, sponsors the UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium, and publishes The UCI Undergraduate Research Journal. In 2001, UROP launched the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), which allows students to become immersed in a research project or creative activity under the guidance of UCI faculty members. UROP is part of a campuswide network of faculty, departments and programs dedicated to supporting the undergraduate research enterprise at UCI.

We hope that you find this year’s conference to be a rich and dynamic celebration of undergraduate achievement. Thank you for your support of the undergraduate researchers presenting here today. Thank you as well to the faculty mentors who devoted their time and efforts to mentoring these students. We look forward to following the continued achievement of these outstanding students, and hope that you enjoy today’s program.

Sincerely,