UC Davis student Natasha Bibbs of Sacramento has already gone places with academic research — and she hopes to go even further.
The fourth-year student travelled about 2,000 miles to Louisiana and more than 150 years back in time to discover how someone she believes is an ancestor — perhaps her great-great-grandfather — became one of the first Black doctors in his community and used his status to contribute to the African American community.
At A GLANCE
- WHAT: Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference
- ADMISSION: Free and open to the public
- WHEN:
- Poster Presentations and Arts and Design Exhibit — Friday, 1-5 p.m., University Credit Union Center;
- Oral presentations — Saturday, 1-4:30 p.m., Wellman Hall
Acknowledging that at one time she avoided research, Bibbs said she now knows the excitement of handling original documents from an archive: “It was like holding history in your hands.”
Record number
Writing a senior honors thesis on John H. Lowery (1861-1941), Bibbs is among a record number of students preparing oral and poster presentations and arts and design projects for the 36th annual on campus Friday and Saturday (April 25-26).
Within the culture of a top research university, thousands of undergraduates participate in faculty and independent research projects. The conference will showcase the research of 1,066 students as it familiarizes them with the process and academic rigors of presenting research in a scholarly manner.
“Research is in the fabric of what the campus does,” said Raynell Hamilton-Starks, director of the Undergraduate Research Center. “Our students are asking questions. They’re looking for answers. They’re thinking critically. They’re trying new things.”
Free and open to public
The conference is free and open to the public. Poster presentations and the arts and design exhibit will be held in the University Credit Union Center from 1-5 p.m. Friday. Oral presentations will be held in Wellman Hall from 1-4:30 p.m. Saturday.
To participate in the conference, students were required to submit an abstract of their research and have sign-off from a faculty sponsor.
Bibbs, a transfer student majoring in both psychology and African American and African studies, used the spring break to do research in New Orleans and Donaldsonville, about 70 miles to its northwest and where Lowery practiced.
Her visit included a tour of the River Road African American Museum in Donaldsonville, dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of Lowery’s medical office and three other sites. Bibbs drove past the site of the plantation where Lowery employed African American sharecroppers during Reconstruction. She also met with the mayor of Donaldsonville, who presented her with the key to the city.
Archival research took Bibbs to the Amistad Research Center, which specializes in the history of African Americans, and Xavier University of Louisiana, both in New Orleans.
New initiative provides support
Her research trip was made possible by the , a new program among those that provide funding, mentorship and skill-building workshops for undergraduate research. Awarding stipends of up to $1,000, the initiative is designed to foster equitable participation in research, with a focus on supporting underrepresented students in the social sciences, arts and humanities.
Bibbs and 34 other students already pursuing independent research with a faculty advisor were accepted into the initiative in the winter quarter. A cohort of 14 students without a defined research topic or mentor joined this spring and are pursuing research-related projects in teams.
Last year as a junior, Brittnay Barrett of Suisun City, Ƶ,