Abstracts for the 2013 URCA Symposium are due in just 25 days! Students, be sure to send your research mentor a draft of your abstract soon so that you can work together to get it polished and submission-ready before Monday, January 28th. Faculty, consider reaching out to students that you think could benefit from presenting in the Symposium and encourage them to put something together! Complete submission instructions are below, and are always posted at the top of the blog.
Submission Instructions
The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium Committee is pleased to announce the call for abstracts for the Fourth Annual College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium. This event will highlight the research, scholarly and creative activities of students throughout the College of Arts and Sciences, and will be held on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. All students who are declared majors in a program within the College of Arts and Sciences are encouraged to participate in this year’s Symposium. Presenters may choose to give an oral presentation, poster presentation, exhibition, or a performance. All presentations should have a significant research or creative component; examples include, but are not limited to summer research conducted at Ashland University or elsewhere, results of independent study projects, thesis work, literary readings or analysis, musical or theatrical performances, and exhibitions of artwork.
Students who wish to present at the Symposium should prepare an abstract in Microsoft Word and email that Word document to the URCA Symposium Committee at au.urca@gmail.com. All abstracts submitted require approval of a faculty sponsor who is familiar with the student’s work and can attest to the quality of the work. Students should copy their faculty sponsors on the email that contains the submission. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 28, 2013.
A complete submission must include ALL of the following:
A. Name of Student Presenter(s)
B. Campus AND Home Addresses of Student Presenter(s)
C. Class Year (e.g. junior, senior) and Major(s) of Student Presenter(s)
D. Name of Faculty Sponsor
E. College of Arts and Sciences program in which the work is focused (e.g. Biology, Psychology, Music)
F. Title of the Presentation
G. Preferred Format of Presentation (Poster Presentation, 12 Minute Performance, 12 Minute Oral Presentation, or Art Exhibition)*
H. Special Equipment Required (PCs and projectors are provided; if no other equipment is needed, please indicate “No special equipment needed”)
I. Body of the Abstract (250 words or fewer)
J. Anticipated Scheduling Conflicts for Symposium on 4/10/13 (e.g. COBE class meetings, athletic events, other commitments that cannot be moved on this date; if none, please indicate “No scheduling conflicts anticipated”)
*While students' preferences are weighed heavily in the determination of whether a submission is most appropriate as a poster or oral presentation, the URCA Committee makes the final determination regarding presentation format.
Students who would like to see examples of acceptable abstracts may view abstracts from the prior years’ events by clicking on the tabs at the top of the blog (right under the main banner). The URCA committee will hold an abstract writing workshop in January in order to assist students in polishing their abstracts. In the meantime, if you have any questions about presenting at the Symposium or the abstract submission process, please don’t hesitate to contact the URCA Committee at au.urca@gmail.com or Dr. Diane Bonfiglio at dbonfigl@ashland.edu.
I have found some of my greatest joys as a professor in the
times that I have had the opportunity to work one-on-one with students on crafting abstracts for the URCA Symposium. Ashland
University students are doing some fantastic things. It is a privilege to be able to do my small
part to help those students communicate their work to their peers and professors. This year I am excited to work with three
bright and enthusiastic students, all of whom are now hard at work choosing
just the right words to share the results of their research projects. I know that all across the College of Arts
and Sciences similar interactions are occurring. I have heard students and faculty talking about
the upcoming abstract deadline and planning submissions. So though next week will be busy and students
and professors alike may well be exhausted at the end, it will be that good
kind of exhaustion that comes from hard work and the production of something
special. It is truly a gift to be able
to share these experiences with students, and it is one of the many things that
I adore about my job.
