By Julia Rist

Student researchers at Fordham University come from an array of different departments. Many students who choose to participate in research are science majors, but a field that is not traditionally associated with research is beginning to grow in popularity at the university.
Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business will host its undergraduate research conference for the eighth year.
Brian Dunn, the assistant dean for honors opportunities and dual-degree programs, is in charge of the conference. Dunn said research in business fields is important for a number of reasons.
“The analytical and critical-thinking skills students develop throughout the research process are equally vital and applicable whether a student plans to go on to graduate school or full-time work immediately after their undergraduate studies,” said Dunn. “The ability to question commonly-held beliefs or traditional methods of tackling a business dilemma prepares our students, as future business professionals, to find newer and better ways for businesses to have a positive impact on society.”
Only seniors in the honors program at Gabelli are required to participate in the conference, but Dunn said the event has grown significantly since its inception.
“The Gabelli Undergraduate Business Research Conference (GabelliUBRC) was established in 2012 as a way to highlight the original research produced by seniors in the Global Business Honors Program and Honors Thesis Program,” Dunn said.
According to the Gabelli Undergraduate Business Research Conference website, students from all over the United States are invited to the conference to present their research.
“The Gabelli School of Business is excited to offer students from across the country the opportunity to present their intellectual interests, investigative experiences and scholarly achievements. The conference is open to undergraduates currently engaged in research in a business discipline. This is a competitively reviewed conference of original research presentations that meet rigorous standards of excellence.”
Dunn said that, in the past, students from colleges across the country have come to the Bronx to share their research.
“Each year we offer a handful of presentation slots to student researchers studying business at other universities,” he said. “In recent years, we have hosted presenters from NYU, Georgetown, John Carroll University, St. Joseph’s University and St. Louis University.”
Dunn said he expects at least 25 Fordham students to be presenting at this year’s conference. According to Dunn, when students participate in research, they can find out what truly interests them about their field. He argued this opportunity not only looks good on a resume, but also allows people to do a deep dive into a specific topic.
“The thesis process gives students the opportunity to delve deep into a business-related topic of their interest,” said Dunn. “This results in a range of topics as diverse as the students’ interests.”
He said there is always a range of topics every year. Students research everything from how solar energy is distributed in the Bronx to how international equity markets react to global events.
The research conference will be held in April at the same time as Fordham College of Rose Hill’s Undergraduate Research Symposium. Dunn said that this event is a great way for both colleges to come together and share their work, and in some cases Gabelli students will work collaboratively with other student researchers from FCRH to present their respective topics.
“Over the past four years, we have coordinated with FCRH to hold the GabelliUBRC and FCRH’s Undergraduate Research Symposium on the same day,” said Dunn. “This collaboration has resulted in some oral presentation sessions combining GSB and FCRH students when their research topics share common themes.”
Research is extremely important in the business field because it can lead someone to make an advancement that could help the entire field, according to Dunn. In this day and age, the way consumers do business is constantly developing, and research provides people with a way of keeping up with the progress of the field.
“Research is important to advancement and innovation across all academic fields, including business,” Dunn said.
Dunn said he hopes this undergraduate research conference will encourage more students who are not in typical research fields to participate in the research that is going on around campus and present their findings.
“The GabelliUBRC provides a stage for us to highlight the great research our seniors conduct while hopefully inspiring the cohort of student-researchers here at the Gabelli School.”