Child care, Italian drama and Bolivian wrestlers in skirts are some of the topics that will be highlighted today at the CURO Symposium in the Classic Center.

The Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities – a part of the University’s Honors Program – is sponsoring the event, the largest it has had yet.

More than 200 student researchers will gather to conduct presentations, hold discussions and learn about a wide array of topics. Student presentations begin at 10:10 a.m.

The students who will be sharing their research have put considerable time, energy and efforts into their projects, said Pamela Kleiber, associate director of the Honors Program. Many of them have been studying with a faculty mentor for more than a year.

An abundance of qualified faculty members who can serve as mentors for undergraduates conducting research is one of the advantages of attending a large research university, Kleiber said in a phone interview Friday.

“It’s interesting and engaging for students to recognize that every [professor] before them in the classroom not only teaches but also does research,” Kleiber said.

But the symposium is not just for students who have already gotten involved with CURO.

Kleiber said she encourages any student interested in finding out more about undergraduate research to attend.

“On any day other than Monday, April 6, the best way to find out about research opportunities is to look online,” Kleiber said. “But on Monday, April 6, the best way is to hop on a free bus at Memorial Hall or the Georgia Center and go wander around [the symposium] and go to sessions that interest you.”

Marcus Hines, who will be presenting at the symposium, said students might be a little surprised at the broad spectrum of topics represented at the event.

“It’s not just about the hard sciences,” said Hines, a sophomore from Albany. “There’s a stigma that only the hard sciences are available for research, but we have people researching in linguistics, researching in art and researching in psychology. It’s all very, very interesting work.”

Hines has been researching in biochemistry and molecular biology since his first semester at the University.

Muktha Natrajan has also spent time conducting science-related research. She studies human neural stem cells and said CURO has certainly enhanced her University experience.

“It helps you understand what you’re learning in your classes,” said Natrajan, a sophomore from Martinez. “With research, you’re not just memorizing the information.”

Natrajan said several of her peers from her lab are coming to support her as she presents.

She said all of the students attending the event would certainly benefit from the experience.

“There’s a lot of professors that are doing [research], but we – as undergraduates at least – don’t always know about it,” Natrajan said. “So [the symposium] is a great way to find out what’s going on right here on your own campus.”

Oral sessions and roundtable discussions will last until 3:45 p.m. A keynote presentation by Christopher Cornwell, an economics professor, will follow at 4 p.m. Further information and a detailed schedule of the day’s events can be found at www.uga.edu/honors/curo/symposium.