We are always seeking to support our students. We are hopeful that the below FAQ is able to guide you in the right direction. However, if your question is not answered, please reach out!
We invite research projects from all disciplines and encourage students to submit creative work for the symposium as long as it has an original, scholarly aspect to it. For all submissions, students must be working under the guidance of a faculty mentor who can speak to the quality of the research; this includes students working on faculty research as well as students working on their own research under the supervision of faculty. Capstone projects and senior theses are good examples of the second type of student research. The Undergraduate Research Symposium is not an appropriate venue for “position papers,” where students are presenting opinions rather than scholarly research.
Very generally speaking, most research is characterized by the evidence-based exploration of a question or hypothesis that is important to those in the discipline in which the work is being done. Students, then, must know something about the research methodology of a discipline (what constitutes “evidence” and how do you obtain it) and how to decide if a question or line of inquiry that is interesting to that student is also important to the discipline, to be able to embark on a research project.
Yes. You are welcome to apply if you are a UW undergraduate, regardless of where you actually performed your research. If you did your research project at another institution, you will need to get the abstract approved by the faculty mentor you worked with there.
Your primary mentor is the individual who approves your application title and abstract/artist statement.
A primary mentor is required to be the most senior research advisor for your project: a professor or principal investigator (PI). For example, your mentor might have one of the following titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Associate Professor
- Professor
- Research Professor
- Teaching Professor
- Professor of Clinical Practice
Mentors that have one of the following titles cannot be your primary mentor for the application, but can be a secondary mentor: Lecturer, Instructor, Post-Doc, Grad Student, Fellow, PhD Student, Research Scientist, Staff Scientist, or staff member.
How do I know my mentor’s title?
If you are unsure about your mentor’s title, you can:
- Ask your mentor directly if they meet the requirement.
- Check their email signature for their title.
- Look up their title on your lab or research group’s website.
- Visit your department’s website and check the “People” or “Faculty” page.
Your primary mentor should be aware that you are applying to present your research at the Symposium, and they should support you in preparing your application materials (e.g., project title, abstract, etc.). You are required to list your primary mentor’s name and email in the application. Once your application is submitted, your primary mentor will receive an email notifying them of your submission. They will be able to review your submitted materials and will reach out to you if they have any questions or feedback about your project information.
Yes. You do not need to have completed your research to be considered. Many students present research that is ongoing. It is perfectly acceptable to share preliminary results or anticipated findings at the Symposium.
Due to space constraints and to allow more students access to presentation opportunities, students can only present one individual presentation. Students may participate in one additional group presentation as a co-presenter. We ask that students refrain from participating in more than two presentations to avoid any scheduling complications.
Certainly! Event registration will be recommended to receive event updates but not required. A registration link will be available approximately 1 month prior to the event. Please note that registrants and attendees will be required to comply with any campus COVID policies: https://www.washington.edu/coronavirus/category/campus-operations/
Absolutely! We encourage visual and performing artists to submit applications to participate in the Symposium. We have had a wonderful variety of art students present in the past on everything from their sculpture and photography to new techniques being used in actor training.
Yes, all presenters have access to an abstract writing video, where you will learn the basics of abstract construction and see various examples. We also encourage you to take a look at the proceedings from previous years; they will give you a variety of examples of student-written abstracts. You may also view our guidelines here.
If your research takes an artistic/creative form, you may submit an abstract that follows the “Creative or Artistic Project” guidelines. This should explain your work and provide background, context, subject matter, purpose, theories and/or meaning of the work. You may view examples from last year’s showcase and check out abstract guidelines to help guide your writing process.
No. All undergraduates currently doing research with a faculty mentor are encouraged to apply.
Yes. All Mary Gates Scholars who received Research Scholarships are required to participate in the Symposium at least once as part of their award responsibilities. If you are working on a project different than the one for which you received your scholarship and you prefer to present on that project, this is fine.
You are welcome to note those changes as you develop your final presentation; this might include slightly amending your abstract included in your final presentation. However, the abstract submitted with your application, which will be published in the Symposium Event Schedule, cannot be amended after the revision window closes.
Yes, you can contact the Coordinator of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at least 10 working days before the event to request accommodations. Please find more information on the Disability Services Office website here: https://hr.uw.edu/dso/deaf-or-hard-of-hearing/overview/.
In the Symposium application, presenters are given an opportunity to nominate their mentor for the award. Nominations are considered by a small review committee of faculty and staff. UW faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and research staff are all eligible for nomination.
The Symposium application is hosted on Fourwaves. If you are running into technical issues while navigating the application platform, please refer to the Fourwaves Help Center for support.