This is a reminder of the Friday, February 5, 2021 (5:00 p.m.) deadline for submission of abstracts for the Twelfth 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 with a virtual format on Thursday, April 15, 2021. (Please note: All CAS classes beginning before 4:30 p.m. on April 15, 2021 will be cancelled that day for the Symposium.)
All students who are declared majors in a program within the College of Arts and Sciences are invited to participate in this year’s Symposium. Group projects in which some members are majoring outside of the College of Arts and Sciences will be considered by the URCA Symposium Committee. Current students, as well as December 2020 graduates, are welcome to present their work. Presenters may choose a preference to give an oral presentation, poster presentation, exhibition, or performance. All presentations should have a significant research or creative component; examples of such 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.
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.
At the time of submission, students will indicate who their faculty sponsor is. The URCA Symposium committee will contact the sponsor via e-mail to confirm that the sponsor has viewed and approved the abstract. In approving a submission, a faculty sponsor is indicating that the abstract meets the faculty sponsor’s standard for professional work, and that the abstract is print-ready. Submissions that have not been approved by a faculty sponsor will not be accepted.
Students wishing 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. Faculty sponsors must be copied on the email that contains the submission. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 5, 2021. This deadline is firm.
A complete submission must include ALL of the following:
A. Name of Student Presenter(s)
B. Campus Box Number of Student Presenter(s)
C. Home Address of Student Presenter(s)
D. Class Year (e.g. junior, senior) and Major(s) of Student Presenter(s)
E. Name of Faculty Sponsor
F. College of Arts and Sciences program in which the work is focused (e.g. Biology, Psychology,
Music)
G. Title of the Presentation
H. Preferred Format of Presentation (Poster Presentation, 12 Minute Performance, 12 Minute Oral
Presentation, or Art Exhibition)
I. Special Equipment Required (if no other equipment is needed, please indicate “No special
equipment needed”)
J. Body of the Abstract (250 words or fewer)
K. Anticipated Scheduling Conflicts for Symposium on 4/15/2021 (e.g. COBE/COE/CON class
meetings, athletic events, or other commitments that cannot be moved on this date; if none,
please indicate “No scheduling conflicts anticipated”)
Students who would like to see examples of acceptable abstracts may view abstracts from the prior years’ events on the URCA site in the Printable 2020 Abstract Booklet (https://www.ashland.edu/cas/sites/ashland.edu.cas/files/20_urca_booklet.pdf?t=1603395346).
Additional information can be fund here at www.ashland.edu/cas/about-college/undergraduate-research. Also, the URCA committee will hold an abstract writing workshop in January in order to assist students in polishing their abstracts. This abstract writing workshop will be held on Tuesday, January 26th from 7:00pm to 8:00 p.m. Contact Chris Swanson at cswanson@ashland.edu for more details or with any questions about presenting at the Symposium or the abstract submission process.
Questions may also be directed to members of the URCA Symposium Committee:
Megan Connor, University Writing Center
Dr. Allyson Drinkard, Sociology
Dr. Scott Garlock, Music
Dr. Nicholas Johnson, Chemistry
Dr. Peter Mallik, Psychology
Dr. Wendy Schaller, Art
Dr. Kelly Sundberg, English
