SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The fourth annual SoCon Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) wrapped up Sunday after two days of presentations. The event is a collaborative project by the membership of the Southern Conference and hosted by Wofford College.

SURF was designed with the focus of bringing together undergraduate students presenting their research projects for perhaps the first time via posters or oral presentations. Nearly 150 students representing all 10 league schools presented over the weekend.

“We are very proud to host the annual SoCon Undergraduate Research Forum," SoCon Commissioner Jim Schaus said. "The research presentations by nearly 150 students from all 10 of our outstanding SoCon institutions were extremely impressive. It further demonstrates that the SoCon is more than an outstanding athletic conference but is committed to a comprehensive institutional engagement that includes academic excellence and a dynamic partnership between the campus and athletics.”

A product of the Southern Conference’s Academic Exchange and supervised by a panel of faculty members from each conference institution, SURF welcomes research from the humanities and the arts in addition to the STEM disciplines. Dr. Bill Kwochka, associate head of the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Western Carolina, serves as chair of the organizing panel. Dr. Ramon Galinanes Jr., Director of Undergraduate Research at Wofford, supervised the challenge of coordinating space for nearly 150 presentations.