We hope you’ll join us for Butler University’s 32^nd Annual Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) on April 17, 2020, in Indianapolis. Submissions for the conference will be accepted January 1–February 14, 5:00 PM (EST).

The 2019 URC featured the outstanding work of more than 578 undergraduate students from 23 different states representing 51 colleges and universities. Clearly, the reputation of the URC continues to spread across the country, and we hope to welcome another wide-ranging and diverse group of scholars once again this year.

Our 32^nd conference will feature oral presentations, competitive paper presentations, poster presentations, and research roundtables.

Oral Presentations: These presentations are a 10–13 minute summary of the research project with a 2–3 minute Q&A session. Those interested in submitting an oral presentation need only submit a 250-word abstract of the project. Presenters who choose the Oral Presentation format are grouped by discipline and, if the number of submissions is large enough, by sub-disciplines within an academic area, by research topic, or by research method (but always within the discipline chosen by the student.)

Competitive Paper Presentations: Students who have completed a research project are invited to submit their papers to be competitively reviewed by faculty across the nation for presentation at the conference. All students who submit Competitive Papers are scheduled to present in specially identified Director’s Sessions. As is the case with Oral Presentations, presenters deliver a 10–13 minute summary of the research project with a 2–3 minute Q&A session.

Students who submit their papers for competitive review are automatically considered for Competitive Paper Awards. The four highest-ranking papers will be featured in a “Top Four Competitive Papers” session which will occur over the lunch hour this year. The author(s) of the highest ranking will be awarded $300; the author(s) of the second highest ranked paper will be awarded $150, and the authors of the third and fourth highest ranked paper will be awarded $50.

Students wishing to submit completed projects for competitive review should (1) create an account on the URC site, (2) create a presentation—be sure to select Competitive Paper as the discipline—and include your title and 250-word abstract, and (3) email their papers as attachments to urc@butler.edu no later than February 14, 5:00 PM (EST).

Competitive Paper Requirements:

• Must not exceed 25 pages (not including Title page or Reference/Works Cited pages)
• Must be written in English (as these papers are intended for a general audience)
• May use APA, MLA, or Chicago style
• Must not have been previously published
• Must be the sole work of the students (i.e., faculty members cannot be co-authors)

Poster Presentations: These presentations are a graphic presentation of a research project. Authors illustrate their findings by displaying graphs, photos, diagrams, and a small amount of text on the poster boards.

This year’s conference will feature two poster sessions and a split format: Students are required to be present for the duration of the session, but will only present for half the session. Presenters will be assigned numbers—those assigned odd numbers will present during the first half of the session and presenters assigned even numbers will present during the second half of the session. Scheduled presenters will have their work displayed during one of these sessions, with the schedule being determined by the subject matter.

Posters should be 32×56 or 40×56. The URC will provide easel, poster boards, and the push-pins to hold posters in place.

Research Roundtables: To continue our focus on assisting developing scholars, the URC offers Research Roundtables as a venue for students to share proposed research projects or preliminary research results. Students will submit a 250-word abstract of the project they intend to complete or have partially completed. On the day of the URC, students will be grouped according to research interests/methodologies and will participate in a roundtable discussion wherein they share the status of their project and receive feedback from seasoned researchers.

Please spread the word about the URC by forwarding this message to interested parties. We know that participants will represent a variety of academic disciplines and will inspire us to construct meaningful connections among students’ research findings.

As a reminder, submissions are accepted January 1–February 14, 5:00 PM (EST). Late submissions will not be accepted, so be sure to mark your calendars now!

You may find more information about the URC on the URC website.

If you have any questions about the URC, please do not hesitate to contact me. We look forward to you joining us.

All the best,

Dacia Charlesworth, PhD
Director of Undergraduate Research and Prestigious Scholarships
Butler University