VIRTUAL EVENT DATES:

TUESDAY, APRIL 28 - FRIDAY, MAY 1

NOTE: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a Zoom link and password that will remain the same for each day's session. You will only need to register ONCE for the 4-day event. PLEASE SAVE THIS EMAIL!

Due to measures taken around COVID-19, the Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars is going VIRTUAL! This unique opportunity gives graduating undergraduate researchers the chance to create an internet archive of their research and professionally present their faculty-mentored research and scholarly work despite current limitations surrounding travel and large gatherings.

The Virtual Showcase is a moment when we step back from our academic routines to celebrate the accomplishments of our students and encourage them along the path of intellectual achievement, as well as celebrate the inspiration and creativity of our young scholars and the dedication of their mentors.

The Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars is an annual event that provides UK undergraduates the opportunity to professionally present, perform, or demonstrate their faculty-mentored research to UK faculty, staff, students, and the general public.

STUDENT REGISTRATION

The four day Virtual Showcase event will offer up to 144 student presentations; in comparison, the 2019 Showcase had over 500 undergraduates present their research. Our hope is that all returning undergraduates will have the opportunity to present their research in-person at the 2021 Showcase in April 2021.





EXCELLENT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH MENTOR AWARD

EXCELLENT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH MENTOR AWARD

Each year outstanding UK faculty mentors are recognized at the Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars for their outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate researchers, providing exceptional undergraduate research experiences, as well as supporting and promoting the undergraduate research initiatives on campus.

This year we had THIRTY-ONE faculty mentors nominated by their students.

Click HERE to view this year's Research Mentor Nominees



VIRTUAL SHOWCASE EVENT FORMAT

There are three primary components to the 2020 Virtual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars:


1. ABSTRACT BOOK

The Showcase abstract book will list all students participating in the Virtual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars. This digital Abstract book will be similar to the 2019 Showcase Abstract book, seen here


2. VIRTUAL PROJECT GALLERY

The Virtual Project Gallery will feature every Showcase presenters' project, abstract, and presentation organized by discipline for easy viewing. We are pleased to have partnered with Symposium by ForagerOne to create a virtual forum to curate and share research and creative projects with our community as well as facilitate discussion among student researchers and faculty.


3. STUDENT VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS VIA ZOOM WEBINAR

The Virtual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars will include FOUR 95-minute Student Presentation Sessions each day featuring nine students per session for a total of 36 student presenters each day. So, over the course of the FOUR days, we will have a total of 144 undergraduate research presentations. The Zoom Webinar will be open to the public until it meets its capacity (500 people).


Students will virtually present descriptions of their scholarly work, and online attendees will have the opportunity to converse with these highly talented undergraduates and ask them about their projects through an online interactive Q&A session.

The Virtual Showcase will be recorded and all presentations will be available for up to one year on our website.

PRESENTATION OPTIONS

ORAL PRESENTATIONS


SLIDE BASICS: First and foremost, please speak to your mentor regarding content. You can create your presentation in Google Slides or PowerPoint. So long as you are able to upload the presentation to Google Slides, it does not matter what you choose. Please note, if you start with PowerPoint and upload your slides to Google Slides, some features may change.


CONTENT DESIGN:

  • The title effectively communicates subject matter.

  • Purpose/objectives are clearly stated.

  • Applicability or relevance of work is identified.

  • Concise explanation of methods/analysis are used.

  • Methods used are clearly conveyed.

  • Conclusions are supported by data.

  • Funding sources are acknowledged.


LENGTH OF VIDEO PRESENTATION: 5 - 6 minutes. This will allow 4-5 minutes for interactive Q&A session after each presentation.

In your narrated video presentation, please consider the questions below:

    • Tell the story of your research process:

      • The traditional story structure has a beginning, middle, and end. Where or how, specifically, did your research begin

      • Your presentation can discuss the purpose of your study, background information and data, research questions, methodolgy, findings, conclusions, recommendations or next steps...just as you would when presenting in-person.

      • What were some of the milestones or accomplishments along the way?

      • Where are you now? Is this the end of your work, or is it a step in a larger journey? Describe.

    • What have you learned, and how have you grown through your research?

    • Your research is full of important information, but what if your audience could only remember one key idea?


RESOURCES, TOOLS & GUIDELINES


DEADLINE TO SUBMIT PRESENTATION: Tuesday, April 21 at 9:00 pm EST




POSTER PRESENTATIONS


POSTER BASICS: The poster must be ONE PAGE. You can create your poster in PowerPoint, Google Slides, Adobe Illustrator, or any other appropriate program.

  • NOTE: If you have already created your poster, you will simply be presenting it VIRTUALLY.

  • Digital posters should not exceed 48 inches in width (left to right) and 36 inches in height (top to bottom)

  • PDF Posters must be under 10MB in size. If needed, students may use online tool such as Smallpdf to compress their files. We recommend a minimum image resolution of 1500px (or 5in) in the smallest dimension (i.e.width/height) to ensure it is clearly visible when viewers zoom in to it.


POSTER DESIGN: Poster design can significantly enhance or severely diminish the effectiveness of your presentation. The guidelines are general considerations:

  • The focus of attention must be on the subject content.

  • Letters should be large so that they can easily be read from 2-3 feet away. Letters should be easily read - avoid extravagant fonts

  • IMPORTANT: Avoid using excessive text as it makes it difficult to follow the poster.

  • Larger visuals attract more attention. Visuals not relevant to the content will distract the viewer.

  • Be sure that your poster's layout is easy for viewers to follow during your presentation.


LENGTH OF VIDEO PRESENTATION: 5 - 6 minutes. This will allow 4-5 minutes for interactive Q&A session after each presentation.

In your narrated video presentation, please consider the questions below:

    • Tell the story of your research process:

      • The traditional story structure has a beginning, middle, and end. Where or how, specifically, did your research begin

      • Your presentation can discuss the purpose of your study, background information and data, research questions, methodolgy, findings, conclusions, recommendations or next steps...just as you would when presenting in-person.

      • What were some of the milestones or accomplishments along the way?

      • Where are you now? Is this the end of your work, or is it a step in a larger journey? Describe.

    • What have you learned, and how have you grown through your research?

    • Your research is full of important information, but what if your audience could only remember one key idea?


RESOURCES, TOOLS & GUIDELINES


DEADLINE TO SUBMIT PRESENTATION: Tuesday, April 21 at 9:00 pm EST


PERFORMANCE & VISUAL ARTS PRESENTATIONS


BASICS: First and foremost, please speak to your mentor regarding content.


INCLUDE:

  1. Include a link to a YouTube video of your performance (up to 15 minutes long) or JPEG / PNG files upload containg your works of visual art

  2. An artist's statement (up to 2,000 characters)


LENGTH OF VIDEO PRESENTATION: 5 - 6 minute presentation. This will allow 4-5 minutes for interactive Q&A session after each presentation.

In your narrated video presentation, please consider the questions below:

    • Tell the story of your research process:

      • The traditional story structure has a beginning, middle, and end. Where or how, specifically, did your research begin

      • Your presentation can discuss the purpose of your study, background information and data, research questions, methodolgy, findings, conclusions, recommendations or next steps...just as you would when presenting in-person.

      • What were some of the milestones or accomplishments along the way?

      • Where are you now? Is this the end of your work, or is it a step in a larger journey? Describe.

    • What have you learned, and how have you grown through your research?

    • Your research is full of important information, but what if your audience could only remember one key idea?


RESOURCES, TOOLS & GUIDELINES


DEADLINE TO SUBMIT PRESENTATION: Tuesday, April 21 at 9:00 pm EST



FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN A GROUP PRESENT ONE PROJECT?

Yes, we encourage both individual and collaborative efforts. Please include the names of all members of your project’s team when you fill out the online registration form. Each project only needs one faculty mentor.

For group projects, it is recommended that students work together (virtually) to generate the content and the script, but to designate one or two people to conduct the voiceover and mention the group effort. The entire group will then be available during the Zoom presentation time period for online chat and interactive Q&A session.

CAN I STILL PRESENT IF MY RESEARCH IS INCOMPLETE?

Yes. You do not need your final results in order to present. Students can present research that is still in progress, but be sure to state it in your presentation.

CAN I ATTEND VIRTUALLY IF I AM NOT PRESENTING?

ABSOLUTELY! We invite everyone to visit our virtual showcase of student projects. Log on to the Zoom Webinar for the student presentations and interactive Q&A to support your friends and classmates or simply visit the virtual gallery to see what all the talk is about. There is so much to see and so much research to celebrate!


WHAT IS A VIRTUAL CONFERENCE?

The virtual conference is hosted entirely over the Internet. It allows attendees to access presentations from their computers. Attendees participate through a conference website designed specifically for the Virtual Showcase. The site is where you will view poster presentations, pre-recorded oral presentations, and engage with student researchers live for interactive Q&A sessions immediately following their presentations.


Mission of Showcase: To honor the achievements of our undergraduate researchers and the dedication of their UK mentors.