Undergraduate Research Grant

Research grants are usually awarded to scientists. Scientists, after all, produce results that are measurable. I'm an artist. What tangible measure could I possibly bring to the world? I had to fight for the privilege of being funded my grant. I qualified only because my 3D art piece required a cross-sectional survey.  It was a monumental undertaking for someone "right-brained," like me, but regardless of the pitfalls I had along the way,  this was something, I felt, was worth fighting for. I'm grateful for the help I had from my faculty mentor, Suzanne Kanatsiz, as well as the encouragement from  Beth Koford and Tyler Barnum from the OUR (Office of Undergraduate Research) staff. Without their help, this project wouldn't have come to fruition. I also need to thank the students at Weber State University who took the time to complete my survey, including Dr. Sahir for allowing me to survey his Human Development classes, as well as Kathryn Pudlock, for allowing me to display "Value in Genes," at its first location at Weber County Library, Pleasant Valley Branch.  If you would like to take a look at the full grant application, including the body of proposal, go to www.weber.edu and find the site for OUR, look under funded grants for Spring 2011.  The exhibit has been viewed in eight libraries so far (not including Weber State University's Stewart Library) and is scheduled to go to an ninth.  My goal is to place the work in as many libraries as possible across the Wasatch Front and eventually display it at the Utah State Capitol.