Lest we think the recent NCUR conference at the University
of Utah was all serious, there's
Scott Robinson.
Besides presenting on “Determining Myocardial Deformation
in Bullfrog Hearts,” the senior mechanical engineering major made Utah
history by being only the second person to finish a “burrito grande”
at the Blue Iguana, a downtown Salt Lake City Mexican restaurant.
With the encouragement of the other Union students,
patrons and wait staff, Robinson finished a burrito “large enough to provide a
normal person four to five entrees,” said Prof. Tom Werner of chemistry, noting
that three other Union students were unsuccessful in their attempts.
“Apparently,” said Werner, “it does not taste good after
about a third of the way through, which puts Scott's accomplishment in
perspective.
“Unfortunately, Scott passed on the free dessert that
came with finishing the burrito and, truth be told, he paid a significant price
over the next few days for his accomplishment,” Werner recounted. “Don't think
he's ready to go Mexican anytime soon.”
The waiter was so impressed that he asked Robinson to send
him a picture to place next to an autographed one of Brittany Spears near the
restaurant entrance. No word on whether the pop diva had attempted the
gastronomic challenge.
As for the conference, it went quite well, Werner said. “We had 72-degree
weather which most us would kill for about now and the Union students again did
superb jobs. As usual, they also recognized just how well prepared they are to
give these presentations.”
About 30 Union students presented at the 17th National
Conference on Undergraduate Research held this year at the University
of Utah, Salt
Lake City. As in years past, the Union contingent is
among the largest at the conference. Union was a charter
participant in NCUR in 1987, and hosted the conference in 1990 and 1995.
Besides Werner, the Florence B. Sherwood Professor of
Physical Sciences (chemistry) and former chair of the NCUR Board of Governors,
the Union group was accompanied by Ann Anderson, professor mechanical
engineering and member of the NCUR Board of Governors; and Mousumi Duttaray,
visiting assistant professor of economics.