Student Presenters
The Undergraduate Research Forum is your time to shine - a chance to present your research to peers, colleagues and special guests in an engaging format that is standard for scientific presentation. Come and share your research with others in this welcoming and interactive setting, and help us celebrate all of the hard work that everyone has done over the past year!
Read the information below closely as it includes important information about deadlines, registration, abstract submission, poster printing, research video creation and upload, judging, forum prep sessions, and more. If you have any questions, please email our team at cns.exl@austin.utexas.edu
Scroll down for more information on:
Dates and Deadlines
Registration information
Abstracts
Preparing Your Poster and Video Files
Poster Printing
Judging
Forum Prep Sessions
FAQS
Important Dates & Deadlines
Registration deadline: Friday March 13, 11:59pm
Abstract submission deadline: Friday March 27, 11:59pm
Final poster printing submission deadline: Thursday April 9, 11:59pm (poster printing is free)
Final poster and video files submission for virtual poster session: Thursday April 9, 11:59pm
Poster Design Workshop: Thursday April 2, 4-5pm, Zoom (RSVP)
Forum Prep Workshop: Thursday April 9, 5-6pm, NHB 1.720 (RSVP)
Virtual judging and poster session on URF Website: Wednesday, April 15 at 8am through Friday, April 17 at 11:59pm
Tech& Science Undergraduate Research Forum Event & In-Person Judging: Friday, April 17, 2026, 12-4:30pm
See the full schedule for the day of the event for details.
Registration Information
Poster presentations can be done by individuals or teams. Presentations are accepted at all levels: for projects you are building or in the process of undertaking, those for which you've already obtained results, or even projects that are in the idea phase.
To present a poster at the Forum, all presenters must submit a registration by Friday, March 13, 2026, 11:59pm CT.
Important note for teams/co-presenters: If you are presenting your poster as a team, every presenter/co-presenter must complete a registration, but ONLY ONE PERSON on the team will upload presentation materials (Abstract, Poster File, Video File). The person will be designated as the TEAM CONTACT.
Please note that all projects are required to submit a PDF poster for printing, a PDF poster for the virtual poster session, and an MP4 video presentation for the virtual poster session.
Abstracts
Abstracts are required for all presentations. Abstracts are uploaded on the Submission page and are due by Friday, March 27, 2026, 11:59pm CT. Absolutely no abstracts will be accepted after the deadline. Abstracts have a 300 word limit.
NOTE: You can access the submission form multiple times to submit your presentation materials. For example, you can submit the abstract information below by the abstract deadline and return later to submit your poster and video files.
Abstract title: The title of your abstract should summarize the main idea of your work. Scientific titles should be factual, informative and straightforward. They should contain useful keywords that help us quickly tell the topic of your poster. Capitalize only the first letter of the title, any proper nouns or acronyms, and if necessary, the first word following a colon.
Presenters/collaborators: The list of authors should name yourself and any undergraduates, graduates, postdoctoral fellows, research educators, research scientists, and faculty involved in this research project. If you were to publish this project as a paper in a scientific journal, this would be the same author list. We strongly recommend you talk to your research supervisor for help crafting the author list and the order of authors. It is important to acknowledge all contributions to your research project including the faculty member whose lab you did this research in.
Text of the abstract: An abstract is a clear and concise summary of your research. Its content should mimic the content and order of a scientific paper, meaning you should summarize the aim of the research, the experimental or theoretical approach used, a description of the results obtained, and the significance of your results. Your abstracts should consist of a single paragraph of no more than 300 words.
Important note for teams/co-presenters: If you are presenting as a team, only one abstract is required, and this abstract will be submitted by the designated TEAM CONTACT.
Preparing your Poster and Video File
Join us for the URF Poster Design Workshop on Thursday April 2, 4-5pm, RECORDING
Posters
Your poster size MUST be 42" (height) x 56" (width) and be in a landscape layout.
Posters can be designed in Powerpoint and then saved as a PDF.
In Page Setup, set the size you would like your poster to be, which will be 42" (height) x 56" (width). Typical font size for the poster title at this scale would be around 90, with poster text around 24.
Use a white background for your poster. Do not use dark backgrounds for your posters. These require too much ink and delays the printing process.
We are unable to allow any reprints of posters. Please make sure the file you submit for poster printing has been double checked for any errors and reviewed by your faculty mentor.
Templates Available for Research Posters
We have research poster templates available to help CNS researchers present their findings at conferences and events. We recommend using this poster template for your URF poster design. Check out our recording from the 2026 Poster Design Workshop.
Design Resources for Scientific Figures
Because scientists and science students often have to design their own figures to be published in a journal or included on a research poster, the College of Natural Sciences offers a resource to help researchers and students refine visual elements of their work before submitting them for publication. The PDF guide Design Strategies for Scientific Figures offers tips to improve readability, clarity in data presentation, and other components of scientific figures being prepared for publication.
Videos
You will also record and upload a MP4 video file, 3 minutes long maximum (1 GB limit), where you/your team describes your research project. This video will be uploaded to this website along with a digital copy of your poster and will be viewed during the virtual judging process. You can record your video on zoom using your phone or computer. Check out our guide to creating your research video.
The deadline for submitting your poster and video files for virtual judging is Thursday, April 9, 11:59pm CT . Your poster and video files will be available on the Forum web site from Wed, Apr 15, 8am - Friday, Apr 17, 11:59pm, in order to allow guests and evaluators to view your projects virtually and provide comments and feedback to students. If you want your poster to be considered for an award, you MUST upload a virtual poster and video presentation file.
Important note for teams/co-presenters: If you are presenting as a team, only one poster file and video file is required, and these will be submitted by the designated TEAM CONTACT.
Poster Printing
Students participating in the URF on Friday, April 17th will have their URf poster printed for free through the Office of Experiential Learning, located in PAI 5.60. To have your poster printed, submit your poster file via the Submission tab on this site. Posters will be printed on a rolling basis starting Monday, March 23rd. We will email you once your poster has been printed and is ready for pick up in PAI 5.60.
Note that all poster printing is done through a PC. At times there may be MAC/PC compatibility issues, so we recommend using common fonts such as Calibri or Times New Roman and saving your file as a PDF.
Important note for teams/co-presenters: If you are presenting as a team, only one poster will be printed, and this poster file will be submitted by the designated TEAM CONTACT.
Online Poster Session and Judging: Wednesday, Apr 15 - Friday, Apr 17, 2026
In addition to printing your poster that you will bring to the URF on the day of the event, presenters will upload presentation materials - which includes the a poster file and a video file describing the research project - to the URF site for viewing and evaluation by judges and guests from Wednesday April 15th at 8am through Friday April 17th at 11:59pm. This allows judges, guests, and members of the award committee to view projects virtually and provide comments and feedback to students.
Attend Forum Prep Session
Thursday April 9 from 5-6pm in NHB 1.720 (RSVP)
Are you participating in the Undergraduate Research Forum and want to practice talking about your science? Would you like to hear what to expect from past student participants? Want to know how to network with industry professionals in the Connections Lounge? Come to the Forum Prep session! This informal event is designed to answer your questions and help you prepare to talk about your research and network at the Forum. Food provided!
The Experiential Learning team will share pointers on how to talk about your research in a poster-session setting.
Q&A session to answer any questions you may have about what to expect on the day of the forum and during the event.
Learn about the industry partners, med schools, and grad schools that are coming to the Connections Lounge for you to meet.
Technology & Science Undergraduate Research Forum FAQs
Questions about Registration:
My major is not in the College of Natural Sciences. Am I still eligible to present?
Yes! We invite all UT undergraduate students of various backgrounds to present their scientific research. Please check the list of research categories at the end of the registration form to determine if your research is a good fit for this event. We are unable to accept registrations from students outside of UT Austin.
I have to make a change to my registration information and/or submission information (ex: individual presentation to group presentation, ). How may I do so?
You are able to make and save changes to your registration information using the account you created to register for the URF. You may also update your poster and audio submissions through your account. If you re-upload your poster/audio file, please note that we will only be able to access the most current version of the file.
Questions about Attendance and Logistics:
Do I need to stay for the entire event (12pm - 5pm)?
We do encourage you to stay for the entire duration of your session. However, you are not required to stay for the entire event from 12pm - 5pm.
I have a schedule conflict during a session or part of all three sessions. Can I indicate my preference for which session I would like to present my research during?
Yes. Please do so on the submission form as soon as possible. If conflicts arrive after you have indicated your preference, please reach out to cns.exl@austin.utexas.edu.
If you are arriving late or leaving early due to prior engagements, please be sure to check-in or check-out with a volunteer.
What can I expect on the day of the event?
You will come sign in at student check in next to the Welch Hall mural. After signing in, you should go find the location corresponding to the poster number. You will be informed of your poster number prior to the event. You may hang up your poster using the provided binder clips and begin presenting as judges and attendees.
What should I wear to the Forum?
We recommend dressing in snappy casual or business casual attire. Check our CNS Career Service's Guide to Professional Dress to see examples of each clothing type. If you don't have professional clothing, please visit the UT Outpost Professional Clothing Closet.
If I have a problem during the event, who can I ask for help?
Staff and Volunteers will be walking around on the day of the event to help as you need. Keep an eye out for those wearing a Texas Science Shirt if you have any questions or concerns while presenting.
Questions about Judging & Awards:
How does judging work?
There are 2 different groups of evaluators that will be interacting with students virtually and in-person at the URF: 1) Judges and 2) the Awards Committee. Virtual poster viewing is open from Wednesday April 9th at 8am through Friday April 11th at 11:59pm. This allows judges that cannot attend the URF in-person to view projects virtually and provide comments and feedback to students. The Awards Committee will review poster that opt-in to awards consideration on their submission form both virtually and in-person.
Judges are made up of UT staff, faculty, grad students, post-docs, and alumni as well as external guests. Each judge will be assigned particular posters to review and give feedback on according to their areas of knowledge. Some judges may attend the URF virtually and only view virtual versions of the poster. For this reason is it important to upload a video poster presentation as well. After the URF is over, anonymous feedback from these judges will be sent to each student participant to review. Feedback from this group of judges does NOT affect the awards process.
The Awards Committee will only evaluate posters that opted into awards consideration during the abstract submission process. The Committee is made up of select UT faculty and industry partners that are experts in their fields. To be considered for an award, a poster presentation video MUST be uploaded as committee members review posters both virtually and in-person. Feedback will not be delivered to students from the Committee other than the announcement of the award winners.
How do I know if I've won an award?
We will notify the award winners via email within 24 hours of the URF ending. The winners will be announced publicly in Dr. Michael Drew's Monday email newsletter the Monday after the URF and on the URF website. We will have a URF Awards Brunch for the awardees and their research supervisors in late April to celebrate their achievement. Details about the brunch will go out to awardees after they are selected. Monetary awards will be delivered to awardees by June 1 via direct deposit or check.
Questions about Posters:
How do I get my poster printed?
The Office of Experiential Learning office offers free printing services for all URF presenters. After you upload your poster printing file via the submission form, the Experiential Learning team will notify you once your poster has been printed. Once you receive this confirmation, you may stop by PAI 5.60 to pick it up.
This is my first time making and presenting a poster about my research. Where can I receive advice on or information about this?
The Undergraduate Research Forum is a welcoming event to engage in science presentation and professional development skills for all first-time researchers and presenters! Please join us at our Forum Prep Workshop (details above) where you can practice the best techniques for presenting a research poster to an audience.
I am obtaining results after the submission deadline for the abstract/poster/audio file. How may I make the change to my submissions?
The FINAL poster printing file submission deadline is on Thursday April 9th at 11:59pm. We are unable to make changes to files after this date. Once the poster has been printed, our office will not fulfill re-printing requests due to limited supply of printing materials and staff availability. Please make your edits final before submitting.
I won an award at Forum previously. Am I eligible to receive an award this year?
Yes, you are. There are no current restrictions for repeat winners at previous Forums. That being said, we strongly recommend submitting a new project for awards consideration to have the best chance of winning an additional award.
Questions about Submissions:
Do I need to submit a new form every time I am ready to upload my abstract/audio file/poster file?
No, please edit your submission through your account instead of creating a new submission. Duplicate submissions will be deleted. Please continue to use the same form to submit your materials instead of creating a new form for each submission. If you are submitting multiple projects, please create a new submission for each project and then update those submissions as needed.
