The 18th Annual
NC State University
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Frequently Asked Questions
There has been some
confusion in past years about participation in the Undergraduate Research
Symposium. Hopefully, this FAQ will clear up some of the more confusing
aspects. If you have additional questions you'd like addressed, please send
them via email to: UGRS Webmaster Sharon E.
Hunt
Who Is Responsible for Filling out the Application Form?
Who Is my Research Mentor?
My Research Mentor is in Kalamazoo, How Do I Get Approval?
Can I Use Abbreviations for My Department?
Is My Department the Same as My Major?
How Are Presentation Times Assigned?
How Can I Submit My Abstract?
Where
Can I Find Information on Printing My Poster?
When Do I Give My Presentation?
Do I Have Any Choices on How I Do My Presentation?
What Are the Requirements for the Poster Presentations?
When Can I Start Setting Up My Poster Presentation?
Will There Be Refreshments?
How
Will My Poster Presentation Be Judged?
About the Application Form
Who
Is Responsible for Filling out the Abstract Submission Form?
The corresponding author
(CA) is responsible for completing the Abstract Submission Form
and submitting it by the deadline. The CA must be an undergraduate at NC State
University. If more than one undergraduate participated on a single project,
then one student should be selected to be the CA and accept the responsibility
not only for filling out the Abstract
Submission Form, but also for keeping the other author(s) informed of
dates, times and any other necessary information so that all the students
listed on the project may participate in the Symposium.
Please note that
graduate students may not be listed
as authors but may be listed as research mentors.
Who
Is My Research Mentor?
Research mentors may be anyone who assisted or helped direct your
research. It is important that you list all your research mentors on your
application since they cannot be listed as authors on the abstract of your
project. Commonly, research mentors will be faculty from a university (NCSU or
others); graduate students; or, if you did your research at a corporate site,
an employee of that corporation.
My
Research Mentor Is in Kalamazoo; How Do I Get Approval?
Quite a number of undergraduates do their research in the summer months at
remote sites and are not mentored in doing this research by a faculty member on
the NCSU campus from whom they can get an e-mail abstract approval. In these
cases, it is acceptable to get a faculty member from your department to
authorize the abstract submission even if you don't list the faculty member as
a Research Mentor. Please use this option only as a last resort.
Can
I Use Abbreviations for My Department?
We generally suggest you write out the name of your department. The staff
member that prepares these web pages and the Book of Abstracts may not be
familiar with abbreviations that are in common use in your area of the
University. If you need to repeat the same department name in several places on
your application, it is acceptable to abbreviate after the first time the
department name is written out (provided you indicate what the abbreviation
means). Here's an example:
|
Student Name |
Department |
|
John Q. Smith |
Biological and Agricultural
Engineering (BAE) |
|
Mary E. Jones |
BAE |
|
Research |
Department |
|
Susan R. Perez |
BAE |
Is My Department the Same as My
Major?
No. You may be majoring in a specific course of study within a department but
it is your department you want to list on the application form. A good
example would be a student whose major is Electrical Engineering, but whose
department is Electrical and Computer Engineering. This student should list the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering on her application form in
the space provided. Here's an example:
|
Student Name |
Department |
|
Shanna S. Allen |
Electrical and Computer
Engineering |
How Are Presentation Times Assigned?
Most students will get the first choice they marked on their Abstract
Submission Form. However, the symposium
organizers reserve the right to switch students from one session to the next if
needed. Session times will be indicated on the Participant Listing.
If no preference is indicated on the form, you will be assigned to the session
time that is least full.
How Can I Submit My Abstract?
The Abstract Submission
Form is on the Web, and all abstracts must be submitted in this manner. A
copy of your abstract will be e-mailed to your research mentor, who must
approve it by **5 p.m., Tuesday, April 7th ** before your
abstract can be accepted for presentation at the Undergraduate Research
Symposium.
After you've
submitted your abstract, these questions may help you determine the best way to
present your project.
Where Can I Find Information
on Printing My Poster?
Information on printing
your poster and a link to schedule an appointment to do so is available at http://ceres.cals.ncsu.edu/SpringUGRS2009/
When
Do I Give My Presentation?
Students may choose either
Session 1 (1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.) or Session 2 (2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Do I Have Any Choices on How I Do My Presentation?
All presentations will be
poster presentations.
What
Are the Requirements for the Poster Presentation?
Students may design
their poster to be oriented horizontally or vertically as a 36" x 48"
poster. An easel with a cardboard sheet that is 42" x 54" will be
provided, along with pins to attach your poster.
When
Can I Start Setting Up My Poster Presentation?
You
may begin setting up your poster presentation up to 45 minutes before the
official start time of the session to which you are assigned, but no later than
15 minutes before the session start time. A registration desk will be
established outside of the entrance to the poster session. When you sign in at the registration desk,
you will be able to pick up your nametag and your easel-board assignment.
Presentations must remain up until the end of your session. For Session 1, this
is 2:45 p.m.; for Session 2, this is 4:00 p.m.
There
will be an all-day break service with minimal food.
How
Will My Poster Presentation Be Judged?
The
judges will be looking for how you have
§
indicated the
nature of the hypothesis being tested or the research questions being
addressed;
§
stated why the
problem/issue is important or interesting to you;
§
presented the
methods used and the results obtained; and
§
indicated the
most important findings/developments and why they are significant.
The
judges will also be assessing the quality of your research, the way you respond
to their questions, and the clarity and quality of the graphics that you use.
The judges will be looking for how the students
§
present their information
or the data they collected;
§
analyze their
data or information;
§
state their
findings or conclusions; and
§
organize their
overall presentation.
[ 2009 Undergraduate Research Symposium
Main Page ]
Last modified February 2009 by Sharon
E. Hunt, WordHunting