The studies of atomic nuclei and black holes are only a couple of the many research topics on display Friday as part of the Student Research Symposium.The fourth annual SRS will display about 87 research projects on posters in the hallways of the Tucker Technology Center that students of the College of Science and Engineering prepared to be judged by faculty from different departments according to topic.

John Horner, professor of biology and chairman of the SRS 2006 committee, said the symposium is important for the college because it encourages students to participate in research and gives students the opportunity to present their research in a relaxed environment.

Michelle Prewitt, a senior physics and mathematics major and Senior Scholar for the physics department, will display a poster that aims to explain the efficiency of X-ray detectors.

Prewitt said her research is designed to test the efficiency of X-ray detectors, and her research contributes to the knowledge and understanding of basic physics principles.

Sarah Hernandez, a junior astrophysics major, said her research poster will involve, among various things, the study of black holes.

Hernandez explained her research involves active galaxies that differ from the Milky Way because of their source of radiation.

“The Milky Way Galaxy receives radiation from stars, which differs from active galaxies who receive their radiation from different energies, including black holes,” Hernandez said.

According to srs.tcu.edu, participation in the symposium will allow students practical experience in a professional environment for displaying research.

The posters will be on display all day Friday with two poster sessions where students and faculty can ask the student researchers specific questions about their work, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Amanda Neill, head of the Botanical Informations and Collections Management for the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, will give a keynote speech in Sid Richardson Lecture Hall 1 at 5:30 p.m. titled “BRIT and TCU Students: The Andes to the Amazon Program.”

Horner explained that each department has already chosen a winning undergraduate poster and possibly a graduate poster, depending on the department.

The awards ceremony for the research posters will follow Neill’s speech.

Horner said he did not want to talk specifically about certain research projects because he did not want to seem biased toward the biology department but said all the research being presented is excellent.