Student Research Symposium

• Ask a faculty member to sponsor your presentation.
• Select a presentation format (oral, poster, studio art, etc.).
• Prepare your abstract.
• No student may be part of multiple applications/projects.
• Groups may have five (5) people maximum - no exceptions. Submissions from groups containing more than five people will be rejected. 
• All applications and abstracts must be proofread and approved by the sponsoring faculty member. Poorly written abstracts will not be considered for participation in the symposium.
• Your sponsor must submit your application and abstract for review by March 3, 2025, via the appropriate application form.

Individual Application

Group Application

Select a presentation format based upon your particular field of study. 

Oral presentations will be allotted a total of 30 minutes to include setup time and a question and answer period. A SMART System that includes a PC and projection capability is available in each presentation room. You should bring your material on a flash drive or provide your own laptop to be connected into the system. Oral presentations will be scheduled on the afternoon of the symposium at the discretion of the organizing committee. Changes to the schedule will not be made to accommodate any individual presenters. Each presenter is responsible for keeping their scheduled time. 

Oral Presentation Judging Criteria

Poster presentations should be sized according to the standards imposed by your area of research. All posters must state the names of the student(s) and faculty sponsor(s) on the back of the poster. Posters will be displayed for up to two hours during which time you must be present to discuss your work. Posters should either be freestanding or you must provide means to support the poster (e.g. easel). In addition to posters representing research from specific colleges, the symposium also welcomes posters detailing civic engagement projects or those that involve forging connections between students, the university, and the community.

Poster Presentation Judging Criteria

Studio art includes works from the fields of ceramics, sculpture, photography, painting, or other forms of visual communication. Art must be mounted, matted, framed, or otherwise displayed in a professional manner. You must be present for a two-hour period to discuss your work.
Performing art is any musical or theatrical performance, no more than 15 minutes in length. The performance will be recorded and presented as a viewing rather than performed live, so you must specify a description of equipment needed to view the recording.  Please note these requirements when submitting an application and abstract. You will be required to be present for a two-hour session to discuss your work while it is being presented.

Studio and Performing Art Judging Criteria

If accepted your abstract will be included in the symposium's published program. Your abstract should reflect the quality of your work as a scholar. Please work closely with your faculty sponsor to produce an abstract that exemplifies academic excellence.

Abstract Instructions

• Summarize the essentials of your idea in a single paragraph that captures the core of your thesis or theme so that the audience and judges will understand the direction and significance of your research.
• Each abstract should be a maximum of 200 words.
• Carefully proofread your abstract and ask your faculty sponsor to also; substandard abstracts will be rejected.
• Your sponsor will submit your abstract and application information via the appropriate application form.

If you are considering presenting research that involves working with individuals or groups of people or distributing surveys, you must complete the procedure for submitting a research proposal with a copy of the Request for Human Subject Consent Form that will be distributed to each participant in a survey. Each chief investigator is responsible for protecting the rights of participants in the study, and participant should not feel coerced to participate. All research procedures are outlined on the IRB webpage.

Suggestions for a Successful IRB Submission

• Contact with the participant and gathering of data must not occur until approval is received from the IRB, and the first date of contact on the application cannot be before approval by IRB. Failure to comply will result in withdrawal of IRB approval for the project, and you will not be allowed to present at the Student Research Symposium. Allow at least one to two weeks for the IRB to review your procedure.
• State where data will be securely stored (i.e. password protected computer) and when the data will be destroyed.
• Submit a copy of your NIH certificate, not just the number.
• Faculty may apply for approval for a course requirement for research.
• The faculty member presents the completed Request for Course Approval form to the IRB.
• The faculty member demonstrates completion of the Health and Human Services course for conducting human subjects research found at Protecting Human Research Participants. At the point of approval, the faculty member accepts responsibility for overseeing all research performed by students in the approved course.
• NOTE: Design and presentation of the research or poster is the responsibility of you and the course instructor.
• For questions regarding IRB approval contact Lisa-Marie Norris at 479-788-7766.

Dr. Brandon Hutchison

• Symposium@uafs.edu
• 479-788-7414
• Math-Science 217