PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The efficacy of new treatments for pancreatic cancer. Attitudes of millennials toward Confederate monuments. Excess nitrogen in Narragansett Bay. The representation of Native Americans in entertainment. Big data compression using deep learning models.

Those were just a few of the research topics on display as more than 240 undergraduates gathered in Brown’s Sayles Hall this month to celebrate “the creative exchange between students and faculty,” in the words of Rashid Zia, dean of the College and professor of engineering and physics.

At the Summer Research Symposium 2019, undergraduate researchers from Brown — as well as peers from universities across the U.S. who spent the summer on College Hill working and studying in Brown classrooms and laboratories — shared findings, presented posters and answered questions.

Organized by the associate dean of the College for undergraduate research and inclusive science, the two-day event featured projects that spanned the humanities and the life, physical and social sciences. Many were supported by Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards, which each year provide Brown students with collaborative academic experiences that prepare them for graduate study and future careers. 

Class of 2020 Brown undergraduate Jesse Remeis, a mechanical engineering concentrator, worked in the lab of Assistant Professor of Engineering Daniel Harris to study the micron-scale fluid flows essential to microfluidic technologies, which have been used for drug delivery, diagnostic testing and chemical preparation.

“Working on my own project this summer has challenged me to effectively revise and prototype new ideas,” Remeis said. “Learning to overcome the unexpected challenges of research and working with amazing mentors has been a rewarding and fun experience.”