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The University of North Georgia's (ºìÁ«ÉçÇø) Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA) awarded a fall-semester-record 48 travel grants to support students presenting their research at conferences. These students are in 11 different academic departments, which was also a fall semester record.

Provost Chaudron Gille's office supports the CURCA travel grants.

"The provost's office has consistently supported our efforts to get more students involved in undergraduate research, which shows how much they care about the experiences our students have," Dr. Diogo Pinheiro, CURCA assistant director and associate professor of sociology, said. "It is only because of their generosity that we are able to keep breaking records like this and support as many students as we do. We at CURCA feel like we have true partners in the provost's office."

For Michael Guerrero, a senior from Flowery Branch, Georgia, pursuing a degree in chemistry, the grant made the difference in him being able to participate in the Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC), hosted Nov. 8-9 by Emory University.

Guerrero was able to share his organic synthesis research on polymers at GURC. He had worked on this project with Dr. Brynna Quarles, assistant professor of chemistry and director of the Honors Program at ºìÁ«ÉçÇø's Gainesville Campus.

In addition to being able to put his research in front of a wider audience, Guerrero also appreciated the chance to network at GURC.

"It gave me more direction for graduate school," he said.

The 27-year-old Guerrero began his time at ºìÁ«ÉçÇø pursuing