The Virgin Islands public is invited to attend the Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium sponsored by the Emerging Caribbean Scientists program of the Division of Science and Mathematics at the University of the Virgin Islands.

The symposium is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24, in the UVI Sports and Fitness Center. Approximately 20 UVI students will present posters displaying the results of research they have conducted over the past year.

UVI Associate Professor of Mathematics Dr. Robert Stolz said the symposium is "part of an overall effort to increase research training and promote excellence for UVI students. The symposium also provides an opportunity for students to display the results of their work and for the public to interact with them." Stolz added that the event, which is in its eighth year, traditionally draws an audience from the UVI community, the general public, and junior high and high school students interested in math and science. This year's symposium also includes an opportunity for students to apply for UVI's Saturday Science Academies program.

The presentations will showcase projects conducted under the direction of mentors at UVI and at other universities across the nation. In addition to on-campus work, UVI students conducted research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, the Center for Bioimage Informatics at Carnegie Mellon University, the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, the V.I. Division of Fish & Wildlife, and the Biology Department at the University of Central Florida.

The students' presentations will be evaluated by a panel of judges, with the top three winning trips to national conferences in their fields.

The students' research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation's HBCU-UP Program and the MARC Program of the National Institutes of Health. General support is also provided by UVI's Division of Science and Mathematics. For more information, call 693-1232.