UURAF - Side Hustle

A glimpse of UURAFs of the past. This year there
will be almost 900 presentations!

This semester I took on some extra work through the Undergraduate Research (UR) office here at MSU. It's only about 5-7 hours a week, and only through April. It's been a good gig because we could use the extra cash (ahem, baby on the way) and it really doesn't feel like I'm losing any time. Or, maybe it's the magic of being a grad student, when I find the sweet spot balance of having just enough to do to ensure I don't watch too much Netflix and plan my time appropriately. I know once Baby B arrives, that sweet spot will vanish, probably for about 18 years.

What I've been doing for the UR office is helping with their biggest annual event called the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum, or UURAF for short (said "YOU-raf"). I volunteered my very first year to be a graduate student judge, and was amazed at all the research these undergrads do. This year I get a more behind the scenes look since I'm getting paid. Basically, UURAF is a big event where undergrads share their research. And I'm not talking about book reports on whales. These projects are quite involved. For example, some of the research projects that I've read include interviewing women faculty in the sciences, or modeling behaviors of stars, or giving the history of the chocolate chip cookie in America to better understand how events shape individual lifestyles. Totally fascinating! And they have great titles too. One is called "The Sands of Mars," another, "Lives Unearthed: Women in STEM" and my all time favorite, "The Interesting Findings of Curiosity." Even better, there are prizes to be won for best research! The event takes place on April 7th, and I'm looking forward to seeing all the research posters and presentations I've been reading about.