Honors Research Symposium

Hosted by the Bumpers Honors Student Board

Each spring the Bumpers Honors Student Board hosts a research symposium that is meant to be a collaborative learning experience for both the participants and the student judges. Bumpers Honors Student Board members co-judge poster and oral presentations in partnership with Bumpers College faculty members to learn the process of judging. Participants are able to gain professional experience communicating about their research and creative work to judges and audience members and compete for monetary prizes! 

All undergraduate students pursuing a degree in Bumpers College (honors or non-honors), who have completed (or are nearly finished with) a research, creative, or service learning project may submit an abstract for consideration for either an oral or poster presentation. Undergraduate students who have received a Bumpers College Undergraduate Research and Creative Grant are encouraged to present their project upon completion.

 

Abstracts should adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Include the lead student researcher's full name and the name of any student co-authors.
  • Include the project mentor's full name.
  • Include the full project title. 
  • The abstract should be limited to 300 words. 
  • The abstract should consist of five linked parts - background and problem statement, methods/development plan, results/design process and creative works, and conclusions/implications.
    • The background provides context to the study, rationale
      and significance. Follow with the problem being studied,
      the purpose of the study, and any specific research
      objectives or hypotheses. 
    • Provide a brief overview of the research methods or creative approach for the study. 
    • Present important and specific data or products of the creative project, with visually quantified and/or described.
    • State the major interpretations and findings as related to the original research problem, and any limitations of the results.
    • Finish by stating the relevance, contribution of the work, and its implications to science.

Students are allowed one paper or fabric printed poster.

 

Attendance Expectations 

  • Students accepted into the poster presentation session are expected to present next to their poster in the AFLS Atrium or other designated event site, and be available for the majority of the event to engage with judges and audience members. If the student researcher or student co-author is unable to present, the submitting student will lose points for the speaking category.
  • Students should encourage their student co-authors and project advisors to be present during the symposium, but this is not mandatory.

Judging Criteria 

Criteria

Points

Title and submitted abstract (i.e., descriptive title, clear, concise, and correctly formatted abstract). Abstract should clearly represent the student’s research or creative project.

15 Points

Content and organization. All expected components are present, clearly laid out, and easy to follow. This includes introduction, materials and methods, data, and discussion/conclusion. The text is concise and consistently free of spelling or typographical errors. A logical hypothesis/statement of problem was presented. Thorough explanations of why particular methods were selected is provided. Clear discussion of appropriate statistical analyses and implications of project results/outcomes.

25 Points

Importance and quality of research (i.e., clear significance to related discipline, relation of results and conclusion to purpose, innovation, and quality). Background information was relevant and summarized well. Connections to previous literature and broader issues were clear. Reasonable conclusions were given and strongly supported with evidence. Relation of results and conclusion to the purpose, innovation, and quality of the research to impact within the discipline.

25 Points

Quality of visuals (i.e., ease of interpretation of visuals used, absence of grammatical and spelling errors, and visual appeal). The figures and tables are appropriate and consistently labeled correctly. Photographs/tables/graphs improve understanding and enhance the visual appeal. Visuals are easily interpretable and lack grammatical/spelling errors.

25 Points

Student author’s clear knowledge of subject, including ability to answer questions. Presentation and explanation including delivery and visuals (i.e., voice, grammar, terminology, enthusiasm, motivation of audience, neatness, pleasantness, mannerisms; clarity, effectiveness, use, and variety of visuals).

Note: The project must be presented in person by either the lead student author or student co-author(s) and not a mentor. If poster speakers are absent without prior arrangement they will automatically be given a zero for this category.

10 Points