URCA Preparation Workshop Planned

The URCA Symposium Committee will hold an abstract preparation workshop in mid-January, approximately one week prior to the deadline for abstract submissions.  We have tentatively scheduled the workshop for the evening of January 22, 2013.  During this workshop, faculty who are members of the Committee will be available to review and give feedback to students who have prepared a draft of an abstract.  We hope you'll plan to attend!

In the meantime, if you are looking for guidance on how to begin preparing your abstract, you might find the Mediasite recording linked below helpful.  Dr. Andrew Greene, the 2011-2012 URCA Director, created this great presentation that outlined the abstract writing and submission process for last year's Symposium.  Although the dates and submission instructions have changed somewhat (see the "Submission Instructions" tab at the top of this blog for details), the advice for writing an appropriate abstract is still absolutely relevant.

Click here to go to the Mediasite recording prepared for last year's submitters: http://mediasite.ashland.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=6ae61d4ef3464bfeac0dc7caf40a4be6

Tips from the Veterans #3

What another of our seasoned veterans wants new presenters to know:

"Advice that I would give students who are presenting their first presentations at URCA would be to go through several timed practice runs before the presentation (to ensure they are speaking slowly and clearly enough for an audience). I would also advise new students to speak in terms (if giving an oral presentation) that everyone in the audience will be able to understand. Other than that, my tip to new students would be to just be confident while presenting and be prepared for any potential questions." --Sarah Guarino (Psychology), 2012 URCA Presenter

Free Abstract Writing Tips!

Are you unsure of how exactly to go about writing an abstract for a conference?  The University of Alberta recently held a seminar on abstract writing, and they are sharing their notes from that seminar online.  Click here to view their fantastic PowerPoint presentation.

Presenter Profile: Lindsey Knapp

Lindsey Knapp (Biology) presented "PICCOLO (PCLO) Is Differentially Expressed During Mouse Brain Development" at the 2012 URCA Symposium. Here's what Lindsey had to say about her experience with URCA:
 
"Presenting at the URCA Symposium has given me a lot of confidence in presenting my research. This summer I gave presentations to the lab I worked in at UC-Berkeley and even gave a presentation via video chat with other labs. Without URCA, that would have been a lot more intimidating. I am currently applying to Ph.D. programs in Developmental Biology and hope to pursue a career in the field. Having the experience of undergraduate research is a great way to prepare for graduate school or a career and presenting my research was a great way to practice speaking about science, a valuable skill for any scientist.

"I would recommend URCA to any student who is participating in undergraduate research or creative activities. The satisfaction of being able to share all or your hard work with your peers, professors, and public is priceless. Writing your project down and hoping people read it is always an option, but actually interacting with the people who see are interested in your work is very rewarding."

Call for Papers: Ohio Academy of Science Meeting

Students, are you looking for a forum to share your research with other scientists?  If so, consider submitting your work to the Ohio Academy of Science annual meeting.  Undergraduate student researchers who have completed projects or whose projects will be complete by April 2013 are invited to submit to the meeting.  The meeting will be held on April 6, 2013 on the campus of the University of Findley.  Submissions will be peer-reviewed, and accepted submissions will be published in a special issue of The Ohio Journal of Science.

Follow this link to view the complete details in the Call for Papers: http://www.ohiosci.org/2013CFP.pdf.  Submissions must be postmarked by November 5, 2012.

Tips from the Veterans #2

What one of our seasoned participants wants new presenters to know:

"For students preparing for their first presentations at URCA, I would suggest practicing a good deal before the symposium so your presentation is as polished as it can be. Practice in your room, practice in front of your friends, or even in front of a class, so you can feel as prepared as possible. But ultimately, I hope students will enjoy the experience. Everyone presenting is in the same situation as you, so take your time, breathe, and enjoy yourself!" --Megan Wise (Speech Communication and Broadcast Communication), 2012 URCA Presenter

Call for Abstracts: 2013 URCA Symposium

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”)

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.