Students to Present Fall Student Research Symposium Thursday

Nearly 100 undergraduate students from across Utah State University will present their research at the annual Fall Student Research Symposium (FSRS), hosted on Thursday, Dec. 9th in the Merrill-Cazier Library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thursday's event marks an in-person return for the symposium after a one-year virtual hiatus. Last year's fully virtual FSRS provided an occasion to develop resources for online participants, and those opportunities are being added to FSRS 2021, which will allow more students across Utah to participate.

“The new virtual component to FSRS will allow students from all over the state, not just on campus, to participate in showcasing their research," said Alexa Sand, associate vice president for research. "With this blended format, we've opened the door to participation to all USU students statewide and online.”

The addition of a virtual component means these student research efforts are reaching more people, with attendees able to participate in the symposium from home or another location.

"With this expanded format, we can welcome in a much broader public audience, including K-12 students and civic and business leaders," Sand said.

The symposium is more than just a place to share research: it's an opportunity for students to become better researchers.

"FSRS gives students a chance to practice their research communication, get constructive feedback from experts, and build their networks," said Sand.

The Fall Student Research Symposium is open to the public, with presentation sessions beginning each hour between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday. All presentation materials can be viewed online through the Symposium website, and oral presentations will be accessible via Zoom through a link displayed on the individual presentation page. All presenters have also prepared short videos, which will be available online during and after the event.

Among the presenters at FSRS will be eight Peak Summer Research Fellows, who will share their discoveries during a special session from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the South Atrium of the Merrill-Cazier Library. The Peak Fellowship funds a few highly engaged undergraduate students to conduct research in a comprehensive study for a ten-week period each summer.

Fall Student Research Symposium and the Peak Fellowship are only two of many opportunities offered by USU's Undergraduate Research program.

In February, USU student researchers will attend the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research (UCUR), where students from around the state present their research in a variety of discipline categories. Research on Capitol Hill, also in February, will feature a select group of USU and University of Utah students as they showcase their work to Utah state legislatures.

Later this spring, the Student Research Symposium (SRS) will provide a platform for both graduate and undergraduate students to display and discuss their research.

To learn more about student research opportunities at Utah State, visit undergradresearch.usu.edu.