Nicholls’ eighth annual Research Week will allow various colleges on campus to showcase groundbreaking faculty and student research seen as important to the development and conservation of the region.  
The event, assembled by the office of research and sponsored programs, will start on March 4 and run through March 8, with a variety of “brown bag” sessions to reveal some of the unknown research that takes place on campus.  
Debi Benoit, director of research and sponsored programs, said, “The overall purpose is to highlight the research that goes on around campus that so few people really know about.”
Since the foundation of Research Week eight years ago, Benoit said the weeklong event has worked to put Nicholls in the spotlight.  Larger institutions like LSU and Tulane have medical schools or other clinics attached to their names, which means their communities already have a sense of the research done at those institutions.  
“At a smaller institution like Nicholls that is primarily a teaching institution, people tend to not be as aware that there is some research going on here,” Benoit said.  “Although our primary responsibility is teaching, there is a lot of research to talk about.”  
Benoit said there have been presentations on a variety of topics that include coastal erosion issues, how to change the waste of sugarcane into ethanol, seafood and the effects of the oil spill, coastal planting, ways to mitigate flooding, and much more.  In recent years, the College of Business has also evaluated the statistics of local banks.  
“We have faculty that complete research and they engage students in their research efforts as well,” Benoit added.  
Students participating in Research Week were encouraged to create a poster about their research, which will be on display in the lobby of the Student Union beginning March 4 at 8 a.m.  This year, there are 40 students participating in the poster display competition, compared to only eight participants when the event started in 2005.  
Undergraduate and graduate students participating have the opportunity to win cash prizes of $100, $75 and $50 based on the judge’s evaluation of their poster’s layout, subject matter, and content.  
 Benoit said the panel of judges is made up of members from the community as part of an effort to get more people involved besides the students and faculty at Nicholls.  
“We try to get a diverse group of judges because in the beginning it seemed as if we were only getting science related judges,” Benoit said.  “As more students started to participate, we wanted to broaden the judging panel.”  
This year, there are additional ways for members of the community to get involved with interactive demonstrations from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute.  Faculty, students and members of the community are invited to make reservations for the sessions on March 6 and March 8 at the Carmel Inn that will teach participants how to prepare a certain dish, depending on the session they attend.  For reservations, call 984-449-7114.
As part of the closing ceremony of Research Week, a reception will be held to award student and faculty researchers on March 7 in the Captain’s Room of the Donald G. Bollinger Memorial Student Union, beginning at 6 p.m.
Christopher Bonvillain, a former research student at Nicholls, who recently earned his Ph.D. from the LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources, will discuss his research experiences and future career opportunities.
“The benefits of working with faculty for research are immeasurable,” Benoit said.  “It can help students with their career and it can help students to find a close mentor and friendship with our faculty members.”  
Poppy Tooker will also serve as special guest and keynote speaker at the closing reception.  Tooker is the author of the Crescent City Farmer Market Cookbook and Associate Editor of Louisiana Kitchen and Culture Magazine.  
The “brown bag” sessions held Monday through Friday of Research Week are open to everyone and will highlight some of the best of the University’s faculty research.  
“The presenters enjoy the research that they do and particularly enjoy sharing what they learn,” Benoit said.  “That’s what educators do, they want to pass on their information and share it with others.”