The goal of UMCUR is to provide you with a venue to tell a diverse audience about your research or creative scholarship and share your passion for your work. Think about how you can connect with non-expert and expert audience members during your presentation.

All presenters will choose a research category when they submit their abstract. These are used to group similar talks and confer conference awards. The five research categories (with examples of associated topics) are:

• Humanities – e.g., ancient and modern languages, literature, philosophy, ethics, history and art history, law, religion, journalism, communication, critical and theoretical approaches to the arts
• Life Sciences – study of living things, e.g., ecology, biology, botany, wildlife biology, microbiology, genetics, physiology, neuroscience, biochemistry, paleontology
• Physical Sciences – e.g., astronomy, physics, chemistry, meteorology, geology
• Social Sciences – e.g., anthropology, archeology, economics, political science, psychology, sociology
• Visual and Performing Arts - presentations focused on student-created arts; e.g., music, drama, dance, film, art, sculpture, fiction and non-fiction writing, poetry, etc. 
• Franke Global Leadership Initiative (GLI) - students enrolled in the GLI certificate program (regardless of topic). 

Presenters can select from one of the following presentation types: 

• Oral presentations: presenters will be placed in a session with 3-4 other speakers and will have the option to use slides during their talk. Oral presentations are a good option if you (1) have a detailed project to walk the audience through, (2) are comfortable with or looking for practice giving professional talks, and (3) would like to engage with many people at once.
• Poster presentations: Posters are a common way to present scholarly work at professional conferences -- posters provide a visual and textual representation of your work. A poster presentation can be a good option if you (1) would like to engage in more informal, 1-on-1 conversations, (2) have visually complex information or very technical information, or (3) have a project that is in the early stages or that you are looking for suggestions and conversations around.  
• Visual and Performing Arts: Presenters exhibit or perform creative work, including reading poetry/creative writing, performing music, showcasing photography or artwork, or performing choreography.

The deadline to register for UMCUR 2024 is March 1 (abstracts are submitted as part of your registration). The registration portal will open in late January. 

You can find more information on key dates on the Important Dates page.

To present at an academic conference, such as UMCUR, it is expected that presenters prepare an abstract, which is simply a brief summary of the purpose and primary findings of the work you will be presenting. Students presenting at UMCUR may submit either an abstract or an artist statement -- all abstracts submitted will be included in the ScholarWorks UMCUR repository unless otherwise requested. 

UMCUR abstracts and artists statements are a maximum of 300 words and should be accessible to an interdisciplinary audience. Abstracts must be reviewed and approved by your faculty mentor -- you will be asked to confirm that they approve the abstract during the registration process. 

Abstracts are submitted through a portal on ScholarWorks when you register for the conference.

Students interested in learning more about writing an abstract can attend an interactive Abstract Writing Workshop (February 14, 2024). You can also talk with your faculty mentor about tips, or make a 1:1 appointment with the Writing and Public Speaking Center. 

For more information about UMCUR workshops and to see additional abstract tips, visit the Presenter Resources page.

In addition to your abstract, you have the option to include a PDF of your slideshow or poster to ScholarWorks. Adding these materials can provide additional depth and information to your ScholarWorks entry and makes it easy to share information with graduate schools, employers, or others. 

A preference for inclusion is given for presentations loaded by the final upload deadline (April 12). Please contact OUR@UM if you would like to add your presentation after the conference.

All presenters are encouraged to attend the skill workshops offered throughout the spring semester. You can also schedule an appointment with the Writing and Public Speaking Center or the Office of Undergraduate Research for more feedback on your poster.

Your poster:

• Should be 36” x 44” or 44” x 36”.
• Should be tailored to a general, non-expert audience.
• Must be uploaded to ScholarWorks as a PDF document.

The best on-campus option for large-format poster printing is Paw Print in the Mansfield Library.

• Posters appropriately loaded into ScholarWorks by the upload deadline (April 12) will be printed for free (UMCUR will cover the cost of printing 1 poster per person).
  • To have your poster printed, submit a PDF file online to ScholarWorks and check the box if you want Paw Print to print your poster. Posters need to follow all guidelines for size and file format to be printed.
  • Paw Print will call you when your poster is ready.
• Before uploading your poster, don’t forget to double check that your poster is (1) the right size, (2) a PDF file, and (3) review a proof prior to printing the full size version.
• This article on printing posters provides information on exporting and proofing your poster file.

• Plan to hang your poster before the conference starts. You may hang your poster between 8:30 - 9:45 am in the UC South Ballroom. Pins and assistance will be available at this time.
• You are expected to stay next to your poster for the entire 1-hour poster session.
• If you want to keep your poster, please wait to remove it until the end of the day. Any posters not removed by the end of the day will be recycled.

All presenters are encouraged to attend the skill workshops offered throughout the spring semester. You can also schedule an appointment with the Writing and Public Speaking Center or the Office of Undergraduate Research for more feedback on your presentation.

You can modify your abstract through ScholarWorks until the deadline (April 12).

Your presentation: 

• Should be 12 minutes in length. This length is strictly enforced, and students are expected to present for the entire time. You will have an additional 3 minutes for questions (15 minutes total).
• Should be tailored to a general, non-expert audience.
• May be accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation and/or handouts for the audience.
• May include a live demonstration, performance, reading, or audience participation.
• There are several fields where reading a paper is the standard at conferences. If you are in one of these fields, we still encourage you to develop a presentation since UMCUR is non-disciplinary and brings in a general audience. If you do choose to read a paper, at a minimum plan to write a version that is tailored to the conference rather than reading a a paper you wrote for your class or thesis. This Tips for Presenting Conference Papers article provides some useful information on developing a conference paper.
• Please practice and time your presentation prior to the day of UMCUR.

• Upload your presentation slides to Box before your presentation time. You will receive an email the week before the conference with an invitation to the Box folder.
• Plan to get to your session room at 5-10 minutes before the start of your session (not your presentation start time) so everyone is ready.
• Presentation sessions are scheduled for 90 minutes. Please plan to stay for the entire time others are presenting and ask anyone coming to see your presentation to do the same. This cuts down on the disruption of many people entering/leaving the room, shows support for all presenters, and gives the conference planners flexibility if there are last minute changes to the presentation schedule.
• The audience, judges, and a moderator will be in the room with you. Volunteers will hold up signs to let you know how much time you have left. The “Stop” sign indicates you are out of time.

Each UMCUR room will have the following available to presenters:

• A laptop
• Projector
• Slide advancer
• Table in the front of the room

Any further set up requirements will need to be provided by the presenter (i.e., display stands, microphone, speakers, musical equipment, etc.)

 You MAY NOT use your own laptop.

If you plan to use PowerPoint, keep in mind the following:

• The conference room computers run the newest version of Microsoft Office, including PowerPoint.
• Upload your presentation slides to Box before your presentation time. Use the Box folder you were invited to by Kit Smith.
• We suggest also bringing a PDF version of your presentation as a backup on the flashdrive. PDF files are less likely to encounter compatibility issues, and you can view your slides in full screen if needed. Be aware that this will remove any slide transitions, effects, videos, or audio.
• If you created your presentation on a Mac computer, make sure to test it on a PC before the day of the conference.
• Check that any pictures, videos, or audio in your presentation are embedded and not linked. Linking media does not copy them to the presentation and they will not work when you present on a different computer.
• You will not have access to “Presenter View.” This means you will not have access to any materials in the Notes section or be able to see a timer running during your presentation.