Call For Papers/Creative Projects

What is the Conference About?

The SU Student Research Conference is a chance for students to share their work with the campus community.  Students select their favorite project, discuss it with a faculty research mentor, and submit paperwork to enter their submission. Accepted proposals will be organized into different sessions with common themes. For example, one session might feature research projects from biology students, another could highlight the best speeches from public speaking or music majors can discuss the difficulties in creating original compositions. The conference program will be published so that the campus community can choose which presentations they would like to attend.

What Constitutes “Research”?
The definition of research that applies to the work presented is broad and covers the spectrum of activities that apply in all disciplines taught at SU.  Students may submit projects that include original research as well as term papers, independent inquiries, case or clinical studies, pedagogical research, group projects, creative projects (like poetry, fine art, graphic design) or a music or theatre performance.

How Do I Participate?
1) Select a Project
Students may present the results of their “research” project in either a 15 –minute oral presentation, poster presentation, visual and performing arts presentation, or a roundtable discussion.

2) Select a Faculty Research Mentor
To submit a project to the conference, students must choose a faculty research mentor to review ideas and sign-off on the required preparation. Typically, the sponsor is the faculty advisor of the research project or instructor of the course in which the project was completed.

3) Complete the Web Submission Form 
Students must complete the online submission form and note the faculty sponsor where indicated. An abstract is a brief, but formal, description of the research project that summarizes the project in no more than 200 words. Students must have the faculty sponsor review the abstract to ensure that it is written in a style appropriate for the discipline. Students must carefully edit their writing. Abstracts will be published and provided to authors and conference participants and attendees.

4) Submit the Proposal by Thursday, April 2, 2009 at midnight.  Note that when you submit an abstract to the conference that, if accepted, you are making a commitment to the conference.   Students should be prepared to make a presentation between any of the session hours.  Students cannot choose their presentation times.  Also, students that are presenting should remain in attendance for the full length of the session to provide support for fellow students.

Further information can be found on the  "Frequently Asked Questions" fact sheet for students and fact sheet faculty.