Students to showcase research and creative endeavors at virtual event

NOVEMBER 4, 2020 — Faced with challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, keeping the Roadrunner community safe while still offering rich experiential learning opportunities for students is one of UTSA’s priorities. As such, the Office of Undergraduate Research is shifting its fall 2020 Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Showcase to a virtual format.

The event is free and open to anyone via Zoom on Wednesday, November 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Students must register by Friday, November 13.

The annual showcase is one of the largest show-and-tell events at UTSA, where students from all disciplines present their research and creative works covering a diverse range of topics—from cancer, business proposals, manufacturing and renewable energy to new musical compositions, literature and other topics across the humanities and social sciences.

“Research is a core experiential learning opportunity that takes many different forms and can open new career and academic pathways.”

During the showcase, students will have the opportunity to gain real-world experience presenting their work, receive positive feedback on their presentation and research, create connections through networking and develop their academic curriculum vitae.

“Research is a core experiential learning opportunity that takes many different forms and can open new career and academic pathways for our undergraduate students,” says Darrell Balderrama, director of UTSA’s Office of Undergraduate Research. “Despite our current circumstances, we remain committed to granting students an opportunity to present their work, create long-lasting academic and professional connections, and gain real-world experience within their research fields. In fact, we hope that by holding our signature event virtually this semester even more students and faculty will able to participate and support one another and more.”

Participating students can showcase their innovative work through three different formats: a traditional conference-style poster session; a 10-minute oral slide presentation followed by five minutes of Q&A; or a three-minute thesis competition, where students explain their project within three minutes and with only one visual slide. Students will receive feedback from faculty reviewers and top projects within each college will be recognized.

All presentations will be available via an interactive web platform hosted by the Student Opportunity Center.

— Shawin Kiero