As a sophomore research fellow in UW–Madison’s Glass Lab, Amber Mans found an opportunity to explore some of her ideas on a project with guest instructor Brett Swenson.

“I had been subtly pursuing my own personal research without the title since my freshman year, but Brett had an idea of something we could work on together that aligned with some of the work I had been doing and it seemed like a good fit,” she said.

Mans will be among 672 undergraduates presenting research at the annual Undergraduate Symposium, which is 105 more than last year. The yearly event will be held in Union South from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25.

Mans is excited to share her project, called “Refractory Cements and Their Qualities in Mold Blown Glass,” with other researchers at Thursday’s conference.

“I am very firm in the belief in access to knowledge,” said Mans. “I just want to share as much as I can but also to create avenues to people interested in this field who otherwise may be closed off from having access to the material or learning about it.”

Two of UW–Madison’s key missions meet at the symposium: leading-edge knowledge discovery and quality undergraduate education.

“The symposium showcases the remarkable work of undergraduates as individuals, and it also puts on kaleidoscopic display a commitment to mentored undergraduate research, scholarship and creativity on the whole,” said Kelly Copolo, academic program specialist for the Division for Teaching and Learning, who coordinates the Undergraduate Symposium. “It is truly exciting to see so many students presenting and to see the event continuing to grow.”