Contents

Notes from the Collaborative

A Note from the Collaborative Director

Defining Collaboration: Collaborative Undergraduate Research Across the Disciplines

Collaborative Opportunities

Research and Academic Travel Funding Opportunities

Academic Travel Award Recipients

Celebrating Student and Faculty/Staff Collaborations

Student Profiles

Important Dates

Mar. 25, 2011 Collaborative Summer-Fall Grant applications due

Mar. 31 - Apr. 2, 2011 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)

Apr. 18, 2011 Collaborative Continuation Grant applications due

May 2, 2011 Student Academic Travel Grant and Attendee Grant applications due

Student Profile: Jody Kolter 

On September 17 I presented at the Medieval Association of the Midwest conference held in Iowa City, Iowa. I presented my paper entitled "Abductive Reasoning as a Postmodern Aesthetic in Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose" on a panel we called "An Eco of Medieval Aesthetics" with Professor Ed Risden ("Beowulf and an Ecovian Aesthetic of Narrative"), Davide Toffolon ("The Gothic Imagination: Eco, Dante, and Moby Dick"), and Robert Ebben ("From Warriors to Dandies: The Evolution of the Heroic Aesthetic"). I received very useful feedback from Medieval scholars; in fact, Professor Toni Morris from the University of  Indianapolis discussed how the idea of Abduction emerged in the text for me, she recommended books to read for further research on my project, and encouraged me to email her my paper so she could discuss the detective novel plot more in-depth with me. Participating in the MAM conference allowed me to network with scholars actively researching and writing in their fields. Many of these professors were interested in how I synthesize Philosophy, English, and Aesthetics and offered helpful advice and encouragement for graduate school. Finally, I learned how to communicate my research interests and engage in helpful dialogue with a community of scholars.