Spring Symposium of Student Scholars

You will need to provide the following on your application:

• Your Name, Student Email, Department, Status (undergraduate/graduate student)
• Primary Investigator (PI) -- name, email, department
  • Please list all faculty PIs on the project
• All student co-authors on the project -- name, email, department, undergraduate/graduate student
  • Please gather this information in advance
• Title of project
• Abstract, maximum of 300 words, as a single paragraph
  • Please review and edit abstracts prior to submission as the abstract will be printed verbatim in the program.
• Use of AI Disclaimer
• Project Type
  • Undergraduate or Graduate
• Month and year you began working on this project
• Briefly describe how your project meets the definition of research (1-2 sentences). If your project does not meet this definition, do not submit your project for this event.
  • We use the following definition of research (adapted from the Council on Undergraduate Research): "A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by students that seeks to make an original scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge." Projects submitted to the Symposium of Student Scholars must meet this definition.
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) status of project if applicable
• Any conferences, journals, etc. where this work will be or has been presented/published (if applicable)
• Second choice presentation modality
  • This is specifically for student submitting an oral presentation/performance abstract for consideration. If you are not selected as one of your college's four presentations, you will automatically be switched to your second choice.
• Time conflicts for the date of the event
  • Please provide time conflicts for ALL presenters, and your faculty PI, so we can accommodate your presentation. Please note, in-person oral presentation/performance times are pre-assigned, so if you/your group are not available to present during the time noted in the schedule above, please choose a different presentation type or modality.

If you have never written an abstract before, please watch this short (12-min) video for some pointers.

Abstracts in most disciplines typically have these components (adapted from the guidelines for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research): 

1. Clearly state the central research question and/or purpose of the project.
2. Provide brief, relevant scholarly or research context (no actual citations required) that demonstrate its attempt to make a unique contribution to the area of inquiry.
3. Provide a brief description of the research methodology.
4. State conclusions or expected results and the context in which they will be discussed.
5. Include text only (no images or graphics)
6. Be well-written and well-organized. 

Abstracts in the Visual Arts should follow these conventions: 

1. Clearly state the central research question and/or purpose of the project.  (Provide an artist statement.)
2. Provide brief, relevant scholarly or research context (no actual citations required) that demonstrate its attempt to make a unique contribution to the area of inquiry. (In the statement, cite your influences and inspirations: other established artists; movements that are referenced or serve as inspiration; political/ cultural/ social issues that the work responds to; personal events, adventures, medical diagnosis; etc.)
3. Provide a brief description of the research methodology. (What techniques were used?  It could be as basic as oil painting on primed canvas, or a more in-depth explanation of the experimental process.)
   State conclusions or expected results and the context in which they will be discussed. (What did you learn?  What was successful?  What are things to be addressed in future pieces?  How does this piece fit into your portfolio or future works?)
4. Include text only (no images or graphics)
5. Be well-written and well-organized.
   • All of the following issues should be addressed in your abstract, however, as each covers a unique influence that alters the interpretation the work, speak more to one or two components of your “research” in depth
     • Was the work a response to Art History?  
     • Or was the focus the experimental process?
   • While it is assumed you will very briefly respond to all of these requirements, it is also expected that only a few will be the central focus of your statement.

Abstracts in the Performing Arts should follow these guidelines:

1. Clearly state the central research question and/or purpose of the project. A statement discussing compositional or performance aspects of the work.
   • Why did you compose this work or choose this work to perform?
   • What aspects of music are you exploring?
2. Provide brief, relevant scholarly or research context (no actual citations required) that demonstrate its attempt to make a unique contribution to the area of inquiry.
   • How does the composition and/or performance advance the development of your creative output?
3. Provide a brief description of the research methodology.
   • Provide a brief description of the musical work from a compositional or performative standpoint.
4. State conclusions or expected results and the context in which they will be discussed.
   • How did the composition of the work or preparation for the performance affect your musical understanding and output?
5. Include text only (no images or graphics).
6. Be well-written and well-organized.