Opening presentations begin at 10 a.m. today on the first floor of Boji Tower, 124 W. Allegan St., in Lansing.

The program is designed to help give a diverse group of often underrepresented students more chances to get research experience, especially during summer months, said Nettavia Curry, McNair/SROP coordinator.

Topics range from rules of grammar to bovine cell function, and students like Clarence Greene, a journalism senior, have the opportunity to show state legislators their project’s importance and relevance to Michigan.

Greene said he spent 10 months focusing on teachers’ and employers’ potential for bias against those who do not speak in what is commonly thought of as standard English.

“I found even I was operating with a lot of bias, because I tend to speak with a very high level of English.” Greene said. “I would often judge people who didn’t.”

He hopes to let the audience know that undergraduate research is important and can bring up topics more people should be aware of, he said.

Faculty advisors like Rita Kiki Edozie, an assistant professor of international relations, provide help and support to students throughout the process.

Edozie, who has been involved in the McNair/SROP program for three years, mentored international relations human resources senior Albert Rice throughout his project on the relationship between fair trade, the Farm Bill and African farmers.

“These students come in very fresh, not understanding all that research entails,” Edozie said. “We want them to find out what research is, whether they like it, and if they want to keep doing it.”

Curry said Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Lansing, and Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, will serve as hosts of the event and are just a few of the state legislators and aids expected to attend the event.

“The state legislators have more of an impact,” Greene said. “They are the ones who have a chance to make a stronger difference with what we’ve learned.”