By Natasha Ramaswamy | copy editorThis past semester, the Augusta University Center for Undergraduate Research (CURS), led by the CURS program director Melissa Knap, hosted their 11th bi-annual series of Brown Bag Seminars.Students from across the university had the opportunity to flock to the JSAC Ballroom to present their original research and scholarship to their peers and faculty on campus while enjoying a complimentary “brown bag” lunch. According to the CURS website, the purpose of these talks, given either individually or by student lead teams, was “to showcase the quality and breadth of undergraduate research here at Augusta University.”In order to be considered eligible to present at a Brown Bag Seminar, students must conduct a research or scholarship project under the guidance of a faculty member and subsequently be approved by CURS to present toward the students.While past CURS Brown Bag topics have included everything from political apathy in college students to the socio-political world of Harry Potter, senior English major Rachel Shomer presented her research project on Friday, Oct. 20, under the guidance of her faculty mentor Dr. Todd Hoffman on “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Cyborg Feminist Theory and Escaping Systematic Oppression.”According to Shomer, her research on cyborg theory was inspired in part by Donna Haraway's feminist essay, “A Cyborg Manifesto,” as well as Phillip K. Dick’s novel, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, which she was first exposed to when she took a class on Post-Humanism last year.Shomer chose her topic because she is "an avid, sci-fi fan [who also loves] how cyborg theory brings together questions combining feminism, science, and technology.”This being said, it goes to follow that the CURS Brown Bag Seminars serve as a way for students to combine their academic interests with their passions from outside of the classroom.In Shomer’s case, she mentioned the most beneficial part of her research.“The most rewarding part of my research was strengthening my skills for literary theory, as I now feel confident that I can keep pursuing this in graduate school," she said. "Theory is extremely interesting but also very difficult write on concisely. The research improved my ability to write more concisely when applying different theoretical frameworks into literature, and the ability to discuss what I enjoy studying more proficiently.”All in all, the Brown Bag Seminars allow students to explore research prior to their entry into a graduate level setting. In doing so, students can both practice presentation skills in front of a large audience of their peers and explore their interests from all academic disciplines. This makes the seminars an invaluable resource for anyone interested in research or scholarship, regardless of their background or major.Contact Natasha Ramaswamy at nramaswamy@augusta.edu.A version of the story was published on December 7, 2017, in Volume 60, Issue 2, of The Bell Ringer newspaper.