The University’s Office of Strategic Initiatives will host its eighth annual Undergraduate Research Conference on Oct. 14, providing a forum for undergraduates to present their research, interact with faculty and collaborate with peers.
The event is a single-day research conference which, in its eight years running, has seen more than 650 students present their research. Students come from all over the South — from schools including Southern University Baton Rouge, Southern University at New Orleans, Xavier University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Southeastern Louisiana University, Louisiana Tech University, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Mississippi State University, Jackson State University, the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee, Rice University and the University of New Orleans.
The conference’s title, “Excite, Explore, Experiment,” represents the events on the conference agenda.
“Excite” deals with Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona Chris Impey’s keynote address, “Water Worlds — The Search for Habitable Exoplanets,” as well as a discussion called “Space: The Next Frontier.”
“Explore” refers to students being able to participate in an event addressing topics related to their appropriate fields and network with faculty.
“Experiment” denotes the student’s research presentations in poster and oral competitions.
The conference targets students conducting research in the fields of life science, math and physical science, technology and engineering and humanities and social sciences. Students conducting research in these areas are able to submit their research abstracts to OSI until Oct. 5.
Competition is divided into three categories, with each category further separated by research concentration.
The first and second place winners in each discipline category and each type of competition will receive cash prizes.
The Department of Psychology Diversity Scholar Award will also be presented during the conference. The scholarship aims to acknowledge and support student research presentations in Psychology and Neuroscience. Applications for the scholarship are due Oct. 5 and winners will receive a minimum of $250.
The conference is open to the public. There is a $20 registration fee for those attending and those entering the competition.