Utah State University (USU) undergraduate students Hayden Hoopes and Erik Dickamore presented research about student success at the Fall Student Research Symposium and are gearing up for more. As undergraduate researchers with the Center for Student Analytics, Hoopes and Dickamore will be displaying research at the Utah Conference for Undergraduate Research and the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in the next two months. NCUR is a prestigious and significant research symposium with over 3,500 applicants from across the globe. By presenting at this event, Hoopes and Dickamore will reinforce Utah State’s foothold as one of the most prestigious research institutions in the nation.

“I never considered becoming a researcher until I discovered the projects worked on by the Center for Student Analytics,” said Hoopes. “Now I understand the value of Utah State University programs and get to tell others why.”

Hoopes and Dickamore are enthusiastic about the findings of their research, which estimate the benefits that university programs have on student success as measured by persistence (retention). Their more recent projects include the following topics:

1. The impact of living on campus on student persistence.
2. The impact of the GEAR UP! program on student success.
3. The impact of service learning on student persistence.
4. The impact of using the ARC on student persistence.
5. The impact of fraternity and sorority life on student success.

Both students will represent USU at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research in Bozeman, Montana from March 25 to March 27. They will network with outstanding professionals and researchers in higher education and will have the opportunity to present to over 3,500 scholars from across the world.

Hoopes will also be traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, in February to discuss the impact of university housing with senators, representatives, and other stakeholders as part of Research on Capitol Hill (ROCH).