School of Business undergraduate Tom Bartman  explains his project to judges Chester Schriesheim,  professor of management and  Linda Neider, vice dean  for Undergraduate Business Programs.

Nine School of Business undergraduates are among the winning students in the University’s 2009 Research and Creativity Forum. The winners were named after the university-wide competition on April 7. Sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Community Outreach and The Graduate  School, the Forum is designed to motivate students to engage in peer reviewed research.

The competition is open to University of Miami students from all disciplines and school years who have completed or are currently exploring topics of interest individually or in a group.  Students are required to create an abstract of 250 words and a presentation poster detailing their studies.

“It’s great getting to see what other people have done and getting a chance to work on public speaking skills. I think the Forum is a great avenue for success,” said Sara Michalski, a sophomore majoring in international finance and marketing. Michalski came in third place in the School of Business category for her work with Dean Barbara Kahn about product image location.

Forum winners (left to right top row): Mathew Fisk, senior, William O’Rourke, senior, Sebastian the Ibis, Sara Michalski, sophomore, Bryan Mueller, senior, Elisah Lewis, director of student research and support services (left to right bottom row): Lucian Van Schlun, sophomore, Kyle Harke, sophomore, Hayley Donaldson, senior, and Caitlin Hughes, senior

Students were evaluated based on presentation style, significance, originality, methodology, and presentation quality. The School of Business students were judged by Linda Neider, vice dean for Undergraduate Business Programs, Edward Baker, chairman of the Department of Management Science, and Chester Schriesheim, professor of management. Students were required to give a 10-minute presentation to each judge and answer questions about their research.

“This forum sparks interest in research in general,” said Hayley Donaldson, a junior accounting and finance major. “If this weren’t offered to students, many wouldn’t be motivated to put together research in any structured way.” Donaldson received an Honorable Distinction for her research investigating the value relevance of the nation’s top 100 nonprofit organizations. She completed the work with Royce Burnett, assistant professor or accounting, during last year’s Honors Summer Research Program.

“Students really enjoyed displaying their posters and explaining to their judges about the academic research they had participated in,” said Elisah Lewis, director of student research and support services and an organizer of the event.

The winners from the School of Business include:
1st Place

• William O'Rourke
• Matthew Fisk

2nd  Place

• Bryan Mueller

3rd  Place

• Sara Michalski

Honorable Distinction:
Seniors:

• Hayley Donaldson
• Caitlin Hughes

Sophomores

• Lucian Van Schlun
• Kyle Harke

Freshmen

• Michael Gotterer

The winners will also be recognized at the School of Business end of year awards ceremony.