By MAXWELL J. MANGOLD Published January 18, 2013 at 4:43pm Updated January 18, 2013 at 4:43pm

Months of diligent research ranging from gila monsters to MDMA will reach a peak at a local biology conference Saturday.

The 24th Annual Biology Research Program Conference will host more than a hundred UA undergraduate and high school student research projects, in addition to keynote speaker and NPR senior correspondent, Shankar Vedantam.

One of the most important parts of the scientific process is sharing what you learn both with scientists, but with the public, said Carol Bender, director of the Undergraduate Biology Research Program.

Students will present their research using posters, with attendees walking around, providing feedback and asking questions. For many of the presenters, research began early in the summer and will continue past Saturday.

Students have to be able to explain it in terms that make scientists part of them, Bender said. So they have to demonstrate scientific sophistication in the area that theyve done research, but they also have to be able to describe it in terms that anyone off the street could understand. Including a sixth grader.

UBRP is a paid research program for undergraduates where, following entrance, they choose a mentor to work with. They then conduct research throughout the summer and academic year, while receiving feedback from small discussions, workshops, lectures and other activities with UBRP students.

Its not a research experience, Bender said. Its a community of scholars I think its the most powerful way to teach.

Since 1988, UBRP has grown from six departments with 19 students to 43 departments and 143 students. To compensate this growth, faculty mentorship has risen from 13 members to 240, during UBRPs lifetime.

From these efforts, 977 presentations have been delivered at scientific conferences and 822 published in scientific journals from UBRP members, with an average of six National Science Foundation doctoral fellowships per year, according to UBRP.

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URBP hosts 24th annual Biology Research Program Conference