As assistant vice president for research and engagement at the University of North Georgia (UNG), Dr. Anastasia Lin knows the benefits undergraduate research can have on a student.

In 2013, she paired up with then-UNG student John Dees, who was majoring in environmental spatial analysis in the Institute of Environmental and Spatial Analysis at UNG, to map the locations in Karen Tei Yamashita's novel "Tropic of Orange." Based on the project, Dees met Yamashita during a trip to a California graduate school where she was a professor.

"John was invited to interview with University of California (UC) Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley," Lin said. "Karen Tei Yamashita was one of the first people he met in California during his first interview."

Dees said he chose UC Berkeley and credited his undergraduate research experience as pivotal in his acceptance there.

"Interdisciplinary undergraduate research experience ultimately impacted my candidacy for my acceptance at the Energy and Resources Group in Berkeley," Dees said.

UNG alum John Dees said his undergraduate research with Dr. Anastasia Lin played a pivotal role in his acceptance to graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley.

This is one example of the benefits of undergraduate research. Lin shared this and her research during her keynote speech at the Student Scholars Symposium at Georgia Southern University's Armstrong Campus in the spring.

"It was a true honor," said Lin, associate professor of English at UNG. "I was excited to learn how they put on a research conference, so we can think of different ways to improve our Annual Research Conference and the Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference."

The Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities will host the statewide interdisciplinary Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference on Nov. 2-3 this year on UNG's Gainesville Campus.