Question 1

What are the specific benefits of presenting at Undergraduate Research Day?

Accepted Answer

Undergraduate Research Day enables you to meet other UMD community members excited about research and to share your research with the broader community. If you present at the event, you’ll further develop your capacity to communicate about your research orally, visually, and in writing. Equally important, Undergraduate Research Day provides an opportunity to become familiar with the research projects of other UMD undergraduates, hone your capacity to ask useful and probing questions of other researchers, and learn from the experience of observing other students present. Undergraduate Research Day attracts presenters and audience members from a wide range of fields, which means that it offers a particularly good chance to practice communicating about research with people outside your area of study and to learn about research being conducted beyond your field.

Question 2

Who is eligible to present at Undergraduate Research Day?

Accepted Answer

Undergraduate Research Day is an opportunity for undergraduates at the University of Maryland, College Park to share research and learn from the experience. Undergraduates whose projects have been approved for presentation by their research advisor and OUR can participate as presenters. Faculty, staff, graduate students, and researchers at other institutions may be listed on Undergraduate Research Day posters as research collaborators and advisors. However, the presenter(s) discussing a given project at the event should be undergraduates.  Undergraduates should also take the lead in authoring abstracts and designing posters for the event.

Question 3

What type of work can be presented at Undergraduate Research Day?

Accepted Answer

Undergraduates are welcome to present scholarly and creative work in all fields. This work may have been conducted as part of a campus course, research program, or internship, or it may have been undertaken at another institution during the presenter’s undergraduate years.

Question 4

Is it acceptable to propose to present a research project on which I am still working?

Accepted Answer

We welcome the presentation of ongoing research projects. We would ask that you have some results or outcomes ready to share with the Undergraduate Research Day audience; projects should be beyond the research design phase. If your project fits within those broad parameters, please ask the faculty member advising your project whether they feel the project is ready for presentation at Undergraduate Research Day. If they think it is, please submit a proposal!

Question 5

I worked on my project with other UMD undergraduates. Can we still share our work at Undergraduate Research Day if only some of us are available to present that afternoon?

Accepted Answer

Ideally, all of the UMD undergraduates who worked on your project would have the opportunity to present the project at the event. (In the case of large groups, you might need to divide your presentation session into shifts to enable everyone to present given the limited space that will be available in front of your poster.) At the same time, we understand that group members may have obligations that conflict with the event and cannot be rescheduled, and we do not require all group members to be presenters at the event.

Question 6

Undergraduate Research Day consists of two sessions, and presenters are generally expected to attend both sessions. I have a time conflict with one session that involves a class or other important commitment that cannot be rescheduled. Can I still submit a proposal to present?

Accepted Answer

We do not expect presenters to miss critical commitments that cannot be rescheduled (e.g., classes) to attend the entire event. You can still apply to present if you have a time conflict involving this type of commitment. You will have an opportunity to tell us more about your time conflict on the proposal submission form and to indicate the session in which you would be available to present. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to place you in the session that you identify, but we will be attentive to time conflicts when assigning students to sessions.

Question 7

Undergraduate Research Day consists of two sessions, and presenters are generally expected to attend both sessions. I am part of a group of undergraduate researchers who would like to present a project at the event, but some of our group members have time conflicts with parts of the event. These conflicts involve classes or other important commitments that cannot be rescheduled. Can we still submit a proposal to present?

Accepted Answer

We do not expect presenters to miss critical commitments that cannot be rescheduled (e.g., classes) to attend the entire event. Your group can still apply to present if members have time conflicts involving this type of commitment. You will have an opportunity to tell us more about your group's time conflicts on the proposal submission form and to indicate the session in which your group prefers to present. If you face a situation in which some group members have conflicts with one session and other group members have conflicts with the other, you should discuss the issue as a group and come to a shared decision about which session will be listed as your preference on the form. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to place you in the session that you identify, but we will be attentive to time conflicts when assigning students to sessions. (Given that we cannot guarantee placement in a particular session, any group member interested in presenting should be listed on the proposal form, even if they have a conflict with the session that your group lists as its preference.)

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

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.  Bear in mind too that capacity at the event venue is limited.  This issue is one reason why we encourage early submission of proposals.

Question 9

When should I submit my proposal?

Accepted Answer

The recommended submission date is communicated on our website. Submitting by the recommended date has several advantages, including the following: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 Undergraduate Research Day as a part of their affiliation with a UMD program (Honors, Scholars, FIRE, etc).  We suggest submitting your proposal early to ensure you can represent your program.Submission by this date will make you eligible for consideration for an OUR Excellence in Research Award.

Question 10

What is an OUR Excellence in Research Award?

Accepted Answer

These awards recognize Undergraduate Research Day presenters who have undertaken projects that meaningfully advance key conversations in their field and who have demonstrated creativity and resilience in the research process.OUR will e-mail advisors of all students who submit abstracts by the recommended deadline and invite them to nominate a student for this award.After an initial review of nominations, some nominated students will be invited to discuss their projects with project evaluators during the Undergraduate Research Day poster session. If you will be visited by project evaluators during the event, OUR will notify you in advance.Project evaluators will complete assessments that will be used in the determination of the final awards, which will be announced 1-2 weeks after the event.You do not need to contact your advisor or OUR to request consideration for an award, and we ask that you do not do so.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

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, you should identify them in response to the question on the proposal form about contributors who will not be presenting. You should also discuss with your faculty research advisor how to acknowledge the work of these contributors on your poster.

Question 12

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, or should we submit one form for the entire group?

Accepted Answer

Your group should 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. If any of your group members have unresolvable time conflicts with portions of the event, you should also discuss these conflicts as a group and decide collectively if you wish to express a preference to present during a particular session on the proposal form. (If your group does indicate a preference for one session on the form, we will take that preference into consideration, but we cannot guarantee that you will be placed in your preferred session.) 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).

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

What should I discuss in my project abstract?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 17

Should I write my project abstract for a general audience?

Accepted Answer

We ask that you prepare an abstract appropriate for a disciplinary audience, but also that you avoid creating unnecessary barriers to non-specialists' understanding when writing your abstract.​​​​We recommend that you begin by drafting an abstract that you feel 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. ​​​​Once you have drafted your abstract with a disciplinary audience in mind, please review it critically. Does it include inessential jargon, unnecessary references to discipline-specific concepts, etc. that would be obstacles to non-specialists' understanding? If so, please excise them. ​​​​Reflecting on the perspective of non-specialists as you write your abstract will be useful preparation for the Undergraduate Research Day poster session. Attendees 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.

Question 18

How long should my project abstract be?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

What does presenting at Undergraduate Research Day entail?

Accepted Answer

Undergraduate Research Day will feature two "poster sessions"; you will be a presenter during one session and an audience member in the other. During a poster session, presenters stand by posters highlighting their work, while audience members circulate around the room, review the posters, and engage the presenters in dialogue.​You do not need to prepare a formal talk, but we recommend you think in advance about the types of questions you might receive from audience members about your project and potential responses to those questions.​Think through a brief (1-2 minute) summary of the project in advance, as it is common for attendees at poster sessions to begin a conversation with a presenter by requesting an overview of the presenter’s project.

Question 20

What topics should be covered by my poster?

Accepted Answer

Your poster should do the following:Identify the core question or problem that your project engages.Make clear how the project relates to the broader literature in your field.Describe the methods used.Share key results from your project. Comment on the implications of your results for our understanding.

Question 21

When I prepare my poster and think about answering questions from attendees, what type of audience(s) should I have in mind?

Accepted Answer

Like your abstract for the event, your poster should be prepared with an audience of specialists in your academic field in mind, but you should be particularly careful to avoid extraneous references to discipline-specific jargon, concepts, etc. that would be barriers to non-specialists' understanding. The goal is for you to have the experience of developing a poster that would be appropriate for presentation at an academic conference in your field, while also reflecting on how to make your work as accessible as possible given that guideline.  Attendees at the Undergraduate Research Day poster session will come from a wide range of fields. As you prepare for 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.

Question 22

Who should I ask for feedback on my poster before I finalize it?

Accepted Answer

Please ask your research advisor to comment on your poster. At the time you request feedback, please confirm with your advisor that they support its publication in our online collection of Undergraduate Research Day posters if you wish to publish the poster there. If your advisor does not support the poster's publication online, you should not upload it to the repository.​If you also worked with a graduate student or other senior researcher on your project, we strongly recommend that you ask them for feedback, too. Bear in mind that all requests for feedback should be sent well in advance of the date that you plan to finalize your poster.

Question 23

The event is divided into two sessions. How do I find out the session during which I will present my poster?

Accepted Answer

Please refer to your acceptance email for the event, which identifies the session in which you will be presenting. Please bear in mind as well that participating in Undergraduate Research Day entails presenting in one session and engaging with other students' work as an audience member in the other; unless you have an unresolvable conflict, you should plan to be present for the entire event, not just the session during which you present your own poster.

Question 24

How can I get my poster printed?

Accepted Answer

You are responsible for printing your poster and paying for the printing costs.You can print your poster at the McKeldin Library; please see the section of this website labeled "Specialized Printing/Publishing Services and Costs" for more information. If you will be printing your poster at McKeldin, you should plan on doing so a week in advance.Another option for poster printing on campus is the Engineering Copy Center.  If you will be printing your poster at the Engineering Copy Center, you should plan on doing so a week in advance.Off-campus retailers (e.g., FedEx Office) may also offer printing options.Whether you plan to print your poster on- or off-campus, we recommend printing it well before the event.

Question 25

What time should I arrive for the event?

Accepted Answer

Presenters for both sessions are asked to arrive half an hour before the first session starts. Arriving at this time will provide presenters with sufficient time to pick up their name tags and then hang their posters (in the case of presenters in the first session) or store their posters (in the case of presenters in the second session).

Question 26

What can I do with my poster during the session when I am not presenting it?

Accepted Answer

We have reserved a room near the Grand Ballroom for poster storage, and you are welcome to store your poster there. This room should not be used to store valuables or other personal items. More details about the poster storage room will be provided to presenters over email.

Question 27

Do I need to bring push pins?

Accepted Answer

Push pins will be provided; you do not need to bring your own.

Question 28

Should I wear business clothing to Undergraduate Research Day?

Accepted Answer

We encourage you to wear business clothing, but it is not required.

Question 29

Can I invite people to come to Undergraduate Research Day?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we urge you to do so! Please invite your research advisor, other students interested in research, friends, and family members.

Question 30

I would like to bring in an object related to my research to display alongside my poster. Can you provide me with a table on which I can place this item?

Accepted Answer

No, we cannot provide a display table. Please bear in mind that space at the venue is limited.​

Question 31

I have a physical condition that would make it difficult to stand throughout the session when I will be presenting. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Please contact us via email.

Question 32

What should I do with my poster once the event is over?

Accepted Answer

If you wish to keep your poster, please take it with you. OUR will recycle posters left behind after the event.

Question 33

Is there an online collection of Undergraduate Research Day posters? If so, how do I upload my poster, and are there circumstances in which I should not add my poster to the collection?

Accepted Answer

Copies of posters from Undergraduate Research Day can be shared via the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM), a site managed by the UMD Libraries that many researchers at the university use to make their work available online. ​​Uploading your poster to DRUM is entirely optional. If you are interested in sharing your poster in the collection, you should be sure to touch base with your research advisor before publishing your poster on the site. If your advisor does not support the poster's publication online, you should not upload it to the repository. ​Before deciding to upload your poster to DRUM, you should also be aware that UMD is currently working to make its digital resources more accessible. If you decide to submit your poster to DRUM, you should plan on investing some time into improving the accessibility of your file prior to uploading it to DRUM.  If you choose to submit your poster, you may decide to upload it as a PowerPoint file or a PDF. From the perspective of making the document more accessible, submitting your poster as a PowerPoint file will be more straightforward. If you want to submit a PDF, please see the UMD Division of Information Technology’s instructions for making PDF documents more accessible. (See steps 2-4 in particular.) If you wish to submit a PowerPoint file, you can focus on the second step of the instructions. These instructions reference adding “alt text” to images; you may find it helpful to consult this guide to writing alt text. Once your poster is ready for submission, please follow our instructions for uploading your file to DRUM.  If you have questions related to the online repository, please email OUR. We may need to refer questions to others at the university, but we are happy to field queries from Undergraduate Research Day presenters.

Hundreds of UMD undergraduates share posters about their scholarly and creative work at Undergraduate Research Day each Spring.

Frequently Asked Questions