The Research Symposium promotes undergraduate and graduate research at the University of St. Thomas. Involvement in research teaches students respect for the precepts of honesty and professional ethics.

The Committee on Student Research solicits and screens projects, conducts the annual Research Symposium in the spring and identifies potential grant sources for undergraduate research. Involving close faculty collaboration, undergraduate student research teaches students to be critical thinkers in interpreting and applying the results of their inquiries.

Students learn to analyze outcomes as relevant or faulty and approach all knowledge with a purposeful skepticism until the facts are determined.

Students who receive funding from the Committee on Student Research will present their research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. A number of students will pursue the opportunity to present their work in other venues regionally and nationally.

Finally, the underlying purpose of undergraduate research is to prepare students for the professional world — public, private or academic. Experience with the research tools and practice of their discipline gives UST graduates firsthand knowledge and makes our alumni more competitive in the marketplace.