Heathyr Johnson Among KU Undergraduate Research Award Winners

2013 Jan 23

Fifty-eight University of Kansas students will work on research projects funded by the Undergraduate Research Award program this semester, including Heathyr Johnson, of Olathe.

Johnson, a graduate of Olathe East High School, is a sophomore in secondary English education. Her project is "'To Roam Is Where Your Heart Is': A Song Cycle by Heathyr Johnson, in collaboration with Andrew Shaw," a project designed to produce a song cycle, which is a series of musical theatre style songs that are each intended to play a specific part in a broader theme as they are performed in sequence.

"The Undergraduate Research Award, or UGRA, program has been around KU for over 20 years," said John Augusto, director of the Center for Undergraduate Research. "This class of recipients will be the first class awarded by the Center for Undergraduate Research. As impressive as the students' research proposals are, what is as equally impressive is the number of outstanding mentors involved with these projects."

The research awards are funded by a partnership between the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Research and Graduate Studies, and the Office of the Provost. Proposals were selected on the merit of the applicant's proposal, the applicant's academic record, and the recommendation from a faculty member who is familiar with the applicant and the proposed project.