Chemistry, health and wellness, sociology, economics and biology collide on the dinner table in UNC Asheville's "Food for Thought" course of study. The classes are part of the University's award-winning Integrative Liberal Studies curriculum. This spring, students in these courses have examined a range of subjects to help advance informed consumer choices about locally grown food and healthy activity. The fruits of their studies will be among the undergraduate research presented at UNC Asheville's seventh annual Spring Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creativity on April 15.

Some 365 UNC Asheville students will present original research and works in the performing and fine arts at the symposium from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at locations across campus. The symposium is free and open to the public.

"The day will be devoted to outstanding students presenting the results of their research or their creativity in the fine arts," said Mark Harvey, UNC Asheville Undergraduate Research Program co-director. "All of the students have done work that is unique and relevant to their studies."

These projects represent a wide range of topics, including media literacy, Asheville air quality, democracy in Latin America, North Carolina mining, Henry David Thoreau and encaustic painting. A complete listing of the projects is available online at: www.unca.edu/urp.

The Food for Thought poster session will be held from 2 to 4:30 p.m. in Highsmith University Union, rooms 223-224. The student research will be evaluated by a team of local food experts from Blue Ridge Food Ventures and North Asheville Tailgate Market. The top posters will be displayed later this year at the North Asheville Tailgate Market, which is held Saturday mornings on the UNC Asheville campus. Symposium attendees will also have the opportunity to vote in a "People's Choice" award category.

The symposium is part of UNC Asheville's Undergraduate Research Program. The program aims to provide students with a wide variety of research, scholarly and creative opportunities that support and supplement other educational activities. It is regularly listed among "Programs to Look For" in U.S. News & World Report's annual college rankings. An innovator in undergraduate research, UNC Asheville founded the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in 1986 to promote faculty-student collaborations in all disciplines.

For more information about the Food for Thought course of study, click on www.unca.edu/foodforthought/.

For more information about the symposium, call UNC Asheville's Undergraduate Research Program at 828/251-6122.