Am I guaranteed a space at the event if I submit a proposal?

Submitting a proposal does not mean you are guaranteed a space in the event.

 

After you submit your proposal, it will be reviewed by your faculty research advisor. They will be asked to consider whether your project is sufficiently developed and whether the results can be publicly shared.

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When should I submit my proposal?

The strongly recommended submission date is March 15, 2024 at 11:59 pm. 

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• Submission by this date makes you eligible for consideration for an OUR Excellence in Research Award. (Note that the final award consideration deadline for submitting a proposal is Wednesday, March 27 at 11:59 pm.) 
   

• Capacity at this event is limited, and the order of submission will impact the probability that your proposal will be accepted. Many students participate in URD as a part of affiliation with a UMD program (Honors, Scholars, FIRE, etc).  We suggest submitting your proposal earlier rather than later to ensure you can represent your program.

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What is the final date to submit a proposal?

The final deadline for proposal submission is April 7, 2024 at 11:59 pm.

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A team of researchers undertook the project I would like to present at URD. Who should be listed as a presenter in the proposal?

Undergraduate team members who will be present for all or part of the time to discuss the project should be listed in the proposal form as presenters.

 

Undergraduate team members who will not be present and faculty, staff, and graduate student team members should not be listed on the form as presenters. However, URD posters may list them as research collaborators or advisors.

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I am part of a group of undergraduates interested in presenting a project on which we all worked together. Should each of us submit a separate proposal form?

No. Your group only needs to submit one proposal form.

 

The group members should review the form and prepare an abstract together, then designate one person to input information into the form on behalf of the group.

 

The person who fills out the form will also be expected to serve as the group's point of contact with OUR (although other group members listed on the form will receive email updates about the status of the group's proposal).

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Who should be listed in the proposal form as the faculty research advisor for my project? 

Your faculty research advisor is the faculty member who supervised the project that you wish to present. Even if you worked on your project in the context of a research group in which you had more day-to-day contact with a graduate student or postdoctoral associate, the faculty member who led the research group should be listed on the form.

 

Regarding research projects conducted at other universities or research institutes, please provide the name of the researcher with whom you worked at the external organization.

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How will my faculty research advisor receive a copy of my proposal form to review?

You will be asked to enter your advisor's name and email address in the form. Once the form has been submitted, they will receive an email with the information they need to review it.

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The faculty member who advised my project is not contactable or cannot review the form. What should I do?

Please ask another faculty member in the field in which your project was conducted if they can review your form.

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What should I discuss in my project abstract?

In your abstract, please do the following:

• Succinctly explain the question or problem that your project addresses.

• Highlight how your project relates to the broader literature in your field.

• Discuss the methods used in your project.

• Summarize key results from your project.

• Briefly comment on the implications of your results for our understanding of the question or problem. 

 

Should I write my project abstract for a general audience?

We recommend that you write an abstract that would be appropriate to submit to a conference in your field. In other words, it should be written for an audience that knows your discipline or area of study well, but may not know much about your specific research question. 

 

Attendees at URD will come from a wide range of fields; as you prepare to answer questions about your work at the event, you should consider how to explain your project to people from a wide range of perspectives, ranging from an expert in your field to someone with little knowledge of it.

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How long should my project abstract be?

Your abstract should be no longer than 1700 characters. The project title should be no longer than 80 characters.

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