National Conference on Undergraduate Research
By: J. David Chapman/April 5, 2018
It is impossible to separate a university from its community. They are connected by vision, by need, by goals. Together, they thrive.
The National Conference on Undergraduate Research, taking place at the University of Central Oklahoma this week, embraces this vital relationship. The conference theme, Connection to Place, recognizes the increasing need for direct relevance of an educational experience and their communities that await the college graduate in 2018 and beyond.
This is the 32nd annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research. With more than 4,000 undergraduate students in attendance, this is the largest annual gathering of undergraduate research students in the U.S. They convene with faculty mentors and sponsors to present their research and creative activities. The good news for Edmond and Oklahoma City is nearly all 4,000 participants need housing, food, and transportation for the four-day event ending Saturday. I like and appreciate research, and I also think Edmond and Oklahoma City businesses will embrace research once they see the economic impact of the conference. Hotels, Airbnbs, Uber, bars and restaurants will experience a great benefit.
The conference will feature national speakers such as Sonic President Claudia San Pedro, United Nations Deputy Director Ramu Damodaran, the NBA’s leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and T.W. Shannon, the youngest speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
My UCO Real Estate Program students will be presenting research performed in London last year that directly correlates to the theme of the conference. They researched the impact of a major multimodal redevelopment, King’s Cross, on the surrounding community.
Just as a university cannot be separated from its community, neither can real estate. Property developments have a lasting impact on the people living in and around a metropolitan area. This research reports on the perspectives of people living and working in boroughs (neighborhoods) and the impact of the King’s Cross development on their community. If you come to hear their presentation at the 2018 NCUR, you will find that a possible effect is gentrification and loss of social capital around areas of rapid regeneration and development.
I’m happy to report that it appears that the 2018 NCUR is going to have a tremendous economic effect on our neighboring communities. Indeed, you can’t separate a university from its community and we are thankful for that.
J. David Chapman is an associate professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).