The UMKC Honors Program celebrates the latest volume of Lucerna, featuring undergraduate research in the sciences and humanities.

Chancellor Mauli Agrawal and Gayle Levy, Ph.D., director, UMKC Honors Program, will celebrate the latest issue of Lucerna and the work of the students who submitted their research for publication during an online symposium March 17.

Lucerna, the UMKC interdisciplinary research journal produced by the Honors Program, accepts submissions from UMKC students enrolled in any program. Research from all disciplines is welcome, and previous issues have included original work from students in a variety of programs, including history, economics, engineering and dance.

Lee Francis, Lucerna editor-in-chief, sees value in research beyond knowledge itself.

“I think everyone should participate in undergraduate research because it can change the way that you consume information for the better,” Francis says. “The more someone reads and participates in academic research, the better they become at recognizing what makes a study and evidence more supportive of a theory than others.”

 Beyond expanding a student’s knowledge, Francis notes that research provides students the opportunity to conduct interviews, determine what to ask and have the opportunity to engage with the people they interview.

“Digging deeper on a subject has the benefit of building the student’s knowledge, but it also allows the student to evaluate a variety of sources and work in a field that they have a passion for,” Francis says.

Anuhya Dayal, Lucerna managing editor, agrees with Francis on the value of the experience.

 “Completing a research project gives insight into the heart of a problem and develops critical thinking skills that enable an in-depth analysis of a specific process and allows a student to think in many different directions to get to one destination,” Dayal says.  “Then, in classwork or careers, they can apply this thinking to analyze the problem from multiple angles or solve a problem in different ways.”

Levy said undergraduate research gives students the opportunity to put their studies into practice.

“Not only does it allow them to finally be the creators of knowledge after years as consumers but engaging in research allows students to experience the joys and frustrations of coming up with questions and trying to answer them, deviating sometimes and then finding another path to new questions,” Levy says. “Undergraduate research allows students to begin their journey to changing the world through their hard work and creativity.”