Q: I participated in the Research Symposium last year. Can I use that research/poster to compete for the Research Award this year?
A: No. You must participate in this year's Undergraduate Research Symposium to be eligible to compete for the Research Award. The Symposium only accepts new research projects - i.e. research that has not been shared at a past CSR Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Q: I participated in a regional conference. Can I compete for the Research Award?
A: Yes. You must, however, also participate in the CSR Undergraduate Research Symposium in order to be eligible to compete for the award. Any research shared at local/regional/national/international conference can be shared at the CSR Symposium, though it must be presented as a research poster.
Q: Can I still compete for the Research Award if I'm unable to attend the Symposium?
A: No. One of the grading criteria for the Award involves your interaction with faculty judges at the Symposium. You must be present the day of the Symposium to talk to judges about your research and answer any questions they might have.
Q: How does evaluation or judging for the Award work?
A: Evaluation will start after the application deadline. A panel of librarians will review and score Reflection Essays/Questions ahead of the symposium. Students will receive point credit as Faculty Statements of Support are submitted by faculty sponsors. The day of the Symposium a panel of faculty judges (one panel for Arts & Humanities submissions and one panel for Math & Science submissions) will evaluate/score research posters and interactions with Award competitors. Once day-of-Symposium judging is complete total points from all 3 evaluation criteria will be tabulated and top point earners will identified.
Q: Why do I have to submit a rough or final version of my poster with my award application?
A: We are asking for you to submit a rough or final version of your poster in order for our faculty judges to be able to review it ahead of the Symposium. Faculty judges will have a limited amount of time to interact with competitors the day of the Symposium. Giving them access to your poster ahead of time will allow them to become more familiar with your project, which in turn will make judging/scoring more efficient the day of the Symposium.
Q: How will I know if my faculty sponsor has submitted their Statement of Support?
A: You will be notified by Award organizers via email when your Faculty Statement of Support is received.
Q: Do I cover the cost of printing my poster?
A: No. The Symposium will cover the cost of printing your poster at the Copy Center. Once you submit your abstract, the Symposium organizing committee will respond to your submission via email. This email will contain instructions for getting your poster printed.
Q: When will award winners be announced?
A: Award winners will be announced at the end of the Symposium.