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Undergraduate Research Conference

A crowd shot from the Fitchburg State Undergraduate Conference

Each year, Academic Affairs and the Student Government Association hold the Fitchburg State University Undergraduate Conference on Research and Creative Practice. This academic year, the conference will take place on Thursday, April 18, 2019.  A copy of the 2018 conference program can be downloaded here (PDF). The conference occurs in the morning and is followed by Convocation in the afternoon. It consists of presentations by Fitchburg State students from all departments to promote both creativity and scholarship, and there is significant involvement with the Fitchburg State faculty as both sponsors and judges of the work. Students may present work related to:

  • Course research
  • Creative work in the visual and performing arts
  • Independent study
  • Community service
  • Study abroad

Participation provides students with an opportunity to:

  • Learn to present academic and creative work in a formal setting.
  • Receive feedback from faculty and scholars in your field.
  • Exchange ideas with other undergraduate scholars.
  • Enhance your resume.
  • Impress your family and friends.

Effective presentation skills are valuable for all future careers. The conference provides an excellent public forum to enhance your skills, to share your work, to see the work of others in your field, and to give and receive valuable feedback.

Workshops to help student participants prepare for the conference will be hosted by the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library (HA-101) on the following dates. Click on the date you are interested in attending to save a seat.

Wednesday, March 6 at 2:00pm Data Visualization Workshop
Wednesday, March 6 at 3:30pm Excel Visualization Workshop
Thursday, March 21 at 3:30pm Data Visualization Workshop
Wednesday, March 27 at 11:00am Finding and Using Copyright Friendly Images and Resources
Friday, March 29 at 11:00am Finding and Using Copyright Friendly Images and Resources

2018 Conference Winners

Congratulations to the 2018 top poster and presentation finishers. Click on the links to read the abstracts.

Oral Presentation:  John Sanford, Analysis of tRNA-Directed Riboswitches in Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis, Dept. of Biology and Chemistry, Sponsor: Dr. Sean Rollins

Poster Presentation: Lixandra Numbem, Synthesis of Fluorine-Containing Compounds, Dept. of Biology and Chemistry, Sponsor: Dr. Dennis Awasabisah

Creative Writing Showcase: Faith Chesbrough, CRISS CROSS

2017 Conference Winners

Congratulations to the 2017 top poster and presentation finishers. Click on the links to read the abstracts.

Poster: Lexie Stewart, Kasandra Gonet, Courtney Hertz, Lisa Kay, Narcan for Dummies, Dept. of Nursing, Sponsor: Dr. Deborah Stone

Presentation: Eljah Tucker, An Academic Study of Artificial Intelligence Use in the Classroom for Students with Disabilities, Dept. of Computer Science, Sponsor: Nadimpalli Mahadev

2016 Conference Winners

Congratulations to the 2016 top poster and presentation finishers. Click on the links to read the abstracts.

Poster: Jacquelyn Durkan & Hannah Lombardo, How fat regulates stress response signaling in the model organism C. elegans, Dept. of Biology and Chemistry, Sponsor: Dr. Natalie Karagodsky

Presentation: Robin Pike, GIS Internship with the Ayer Department of Public Works. Dept. of Earth and Geographic Sciences, Sponsor: Dr. Jane Huang

Eligibility

All registered Fitchburg State undergraduates are eligible to participate. Students must have a faculty member sponsor their work and to assist them with writing abstracts and preparing presentations.

Presentation formats

  • Presentations can be done individually or in small groups.
  • Students can also present videos, artwork, or theatrical performances.
  • Works in progress may be presented so that feedback may guide or improve a project.
  • Oral sessions are conducted in panel and discussion format. Grouped by discipline/topic, each of the four presenters in a panel gives a ten-minute presentation. A fifteen-minute discussion for the entire panel follows.
  • Poster sessions are arranged by discipline/topic. The poster session this year will be one-hour long in which the presenter is expected to be present to answer questions at her/his poster.

How to participate

Go to Submit an Abstract for more information about the submission process. Contact the new Conference Co-chairs, Renee Fratantonio or Katy Covino, via email for more information. We are now accepting abstracts from March 1, 2019-March 31, 2019.