Undergraduate student research celebrated at daylong campus event

Can caffeine inhibit salmonella growth? Is Disney a cultural religion? Are college dancers sleep-deprived? What contributes to algae growth in Southern California streams? How are weather changes affecting crop yields in California?

Relax. We aren’t peppering you with final- week flash quizzes. Those are just a few of the many research topics tackled by Chapman University students this year and which were showcased at the first interdisciplinary Student Research Day, held May 10.

The daylong fair featured poster presentations made by more than 250 students in all disciplines from throughout the campus, ranging from chemistry to communications. Undergraduate research fairs were previously held separately by the colleges. This new event united them into one day and treated all to a special luncheon and entertaining talk by Arthur Benjamin, Ph.D., a professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and magician whose “mathemagics” presentation has been seen on The Colbert Report,  the Today show and CNN.

The day was organized by the Office of Undergraduate Research, under the direction of Chris Kim, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.