Presenter Workshops Set

The URCA Committee will host two workshops in March to assist students in preparing their URCA Symposium presentations. The Committee will host a Poster Presentation Workshop on Wednesday, March 18th at 8:00 p.m. and an Oral Presentation Workshop on Monday, March 30th at 8:00 p.m. Both workshops will be held in Schar 103.

URCA Committee members will offer tips and advice on presenting at the URCA Symposium.  Presenters who attend the Workshop should bring their presentation materials (in whatever shape or form they are in!) and will receive personalized feedback from URCA Committee members.  In previous years, presenters have remarked that they've found these workshops to be helpful, and we hope this year's presenters will find them helpful as well.

Though reservations are not required, it would be helpful for planning purposes to have a general idea of how many presenters will be attending.  Please email dbonfigl@ashland.edu if you think you might attend.

The 2014 Symposium Schedule is Complete!

The students, the faculty mentors, the members of the URCA Committee, and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences have worked hard over the last five weeks to polish abstracts and finalize plans.  Now, we are pleased to announce that the schedule for the 2014 URCA Symposium is available!  Click here to view and print the schedule.

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.

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

Tips from the Veterans #1

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

"I would definitely recommend presenting to any student in the CAS. If they choose not to, they truly are missing out on a unique opportunity the CAS provides for their scholars.  For first time presenters, I would suggest that they just try and have fun and really enjoy their scholarship.  We pay a large amount of money and invest a considerable amount of time to do what we do and we should want to shout our accomplishments from the rooftops and the URCA symposium is on of the best ways for an undergraduate to gain experience doing just that." 

--Dantan Wernecke (Political Science), URCA Presenter in 2011 & 2012

Poster Pointers #1

POSTER POINTERS!

#1: Choose images over text whenever possible. Your audience will be drawn in by clear graphs, instructive photographs, and straight-to-the-point tables.