FEATURES 8 WWW.GUlLFORDIAN.COM Guilford Undergraduate Symposium allows students to show off their work BY BRYAN DOOLEY The sixth annual Guilford Undergraduate Symposium will take place on Feb. 22. This Guilford tradition provides an opportunity for students to share academic work of which they are particularly proud. In a joint email interview, Melanie Lee- Brown, associate professor of biology, and Rob Whitnell, professor of chemistry, stated that GUS has evolved in an interesting way. "We took students to the state equivalent, the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium," said Lee-Brown and Whitnell. "We started talking about having a Guilford version for our students and all the work they do on campus." According to the Guilford website, students of all academic divisions and almost every department, major and program have presented work at GUS. Since 2008, participation has grown steadily, with more than 140 students participating in 90 presentations at the fifth annual GUS in 2012. The one-day event features oral presentations, posters, exhibits, panel discussions and performances by students to Faculty members notice a difference in the College community. students who have participated in GUS. "It is always fun for us to see science "A couple of years ago, two students research next to art exhibitions while a poetry presented their project from their research reading is happening around the corner," methods class," said Eva Lawrence, "Just to see the discovery and the process of discovery is a fun part of my job." Michael Crouch, associate director of communications and marketing said Lee-Brown and Whitnell. The variety of opportunities is a big draw for students and has other benefits as well. "Students work closely with professional mentors," said Lavon Williams, professor of sports studies. "They develop communication and professional skills. It's beneficial to interact with others socially and get to know what they are doing. Also, the students get a real experience of what they will be doing as professionals." associate professor of psychology. "It was neat to see them take ownership of their project at a level well beyond they were able to do in class, due to the class size." Michael Crouch, associate director of communications and marketing, agrees that it is fascinating to watch the student presentations. "I like to see students enthusiastic about what they've been studying, the way they got interested in it and what they found out," said Crouch. "Just to see the discovery and the process of discovery is a fun part of my job." Students gain valuable insight from participating in GUS and encourage others to participate. "My experience preparing for GUS gave me an insight of what it takes not only to do the research, but how challenging it is to mold it into a presentation," said junior Ruth deButts, a double major in sociology/ anthropology and peace and conflict studies in an email interview. "I couldn't just walk up there and read off my paper. After slimming my paper down into a PowerPoint, I've learned how difficult it really is to fully explain concepts in a short amount of time." In response to a question of whether or not students should participate in GUS, Olivia Holmes, a senior psychology major, said in an email interview: "Should you participate in GUS? The real question is, what were you planning on doing with your 15-page paper anyway? GUS gives us a venue to share our knowledge. Why work so hard to not show the fruits of your labor?" Surviving the street life: five tips to know , . Gaia ' T'. -jf -’T' iM md a lecture ^ liithalegaqR I Saturiay, Feb. 16tl} at Noeii m-mm . *. 1 BY RiSHAB REVANKAR Tired of hearing the huff and puff about teen ^ving? Or if you're a veteran driver, think you know all the bad habits that could keep you off the road? Think again. Chances are, you have never come across these five things that cxiuld one day save you and your car. Blind Spot You've probably lost cxiunt about how many times your driver's education instructor grilled you about the blind spot. The blind spot is important, but not that important. When you look over your shoulder seven times before changing lanes, you are taking attention away from where it matters most the road ahead. In fact, with optimal adjustment of your mirrors, you can cure your partial blindness and improve peripheral vision. "(If) these mirrors are adjusted to show no part of your own vehicle, you can virtually eliminate the blind spot," said Ted \Mlkins, cross-country truck driver. Here and There, but Everywhere? A DMV.org tip for teen drivers: "Always be aware of the traffic ahead, behind and next to you, and have possible escape routes in mind." Whoa. Slow down for a second. Literally, slow down — that's the key. When you're backing out. For a distraction-free driver you have no traffic signds that maintaining a safe speed, too you are tempted to beat. The much glancing around draws key is reminding yourself that attention away from the road you're in no hurry whatsoever ahead. (even if you are). And in case Artwork Courtesy of Ailey Greig "You don't have to concentrate on all that, because that will definitely distract you and take you away from what's in front of you," said Director of Public Safety Ron Stowe. Parking Mania All the cars in the parking lot are not parked. And even if they are, the job isn't much easier. "I was personally involved with a student backing out who hit me," said Ted Mauldin, facilities department employee. I tried to stop, get out of the way, but she must have been in a hurry." you haven't heard, look behind throughout the whole back-up. Do not always go with the flow. A Keep the Drive study through the Allstate Foundation noted that 87 percent of teens admit to speeding. If you want to be a rebel, just drive the speed limit. "I get picked on for actually obeying the laws of the road," said Early College senior Michael Hebert. ""Uiat whole culture of 'Oh, it is okay to speed if you laugh about iT — I think that's scary." LeTs face it: speed limits can seem painfully slow — especially on roads that you could almost drive with your eyes closed. Nevertheless, when you see that little white board and sigh at the "35" printed on it in big, bold letters, remember that there's a lot of research that goes behind that number. "The speed limits are posted because they have been determined for the safety of the area in terms of caution and reactionary time," said Greensboro EMvers License Examiner Connory. Follow the leader — but not too closely IT s perfectly normal to follow someone, but do not chase them like it is "Need for Speed IL" "There's some pretty aggressive driving going on out there in terms of people following too closely," said Guilford County bus driver Stephen McCollum. Sometimes people drive agonizingly slowly even in the left lane. They're only going to be ticked off with your impatient tailgating. Worse, you could be on your way to a very conclusive rear-end collision. Today, teens account for four times as many car crashes as any other age group. According to a KeeptheDrive.com study, 11 teens will Iqse their life on the road today. Don’t let that be you. Drive safely.