AHS research labs and centers share discoveries and build connections during UIC Research Week
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The inaugural AHS Research Labs and Centers Fair highlighted the work of more than 25 AHS research groups for colleagues, students and prospective research assistants.
With interactive demonstrations, posters, swag giveaways and friendly conversations, the April 18 event in AHSB showcased ongoing research in a fun and relaxed setting.
The event’s primary organizer, Kharma Foucher, associate dean for research and associate professor of KN and PT, said the aim was to create a space for personal connection and collaboration. The gathering was open to the entire campus but particularly geared toward the AHS community.
“My goal was to bring us together as a college,” Foucher said. “We thought about how to engage everyone from faculty researchers all the way to undergraduate researchers.”
AHS Research Day, a more formal presentation of research, is held every fall.
“I felt a craving for something casual, not to replace Research Day as the big celebration of accomplishments, but to create a place for people to just bump into each other. I’d like to create more space throughout the year — and make it more a part of our culture — to interact without it being a big event,” Foucher said.
The fair was held during UIC Research Week 2024, a new series of programs to celebrate UIC scholars, share their discoveries and explore the impact of their work. Events included an engineering expo, an open house at the Innovation Center, an award ceremony for distinguished researchers and other activities across colleges and disciplines.
The fair was the first time AHS showcased its research labs and centers together in one place.
“We are naturally collaborative and interdisciplinary in our approaches, but we don’t always know what is happening down the hall or two floors down,” said Foucher. “Hosting an event associated with UIC Research Week was a fantastic opportunity to address this issue.”