Join us for the Spring 2025 Forum on April 11, 2025!

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: Sunday March 9, 11:59pm

Abstract submission deadline: Sunday March 16, 11:59pm

Early poster printing deadline (get a Texas Science shirt!): Friday March 28, 11:59pm

Final poster printing submission deadline: Thursday April 3, 11:59pm

Submit your poster and video files for virtual judging: Sunday April 6, 11:59pm

Forum Prep Workshop: Tuesday April 8, 5-6pm in NHB 1.720 (RSVP here)

Virtual judging on URF Website: Wednesday, April 9 at 8am through Friday, April 11 at 11:59pm

Technology & Science Undergraduate Research Forum Event & In-Person Judging: Friday, April 11, 2025, 12-5pm

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 Sunday, March 9, 2025, 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.

Abstracts

Abstracts are required for all presentations. Abstracts are uploaded on the Submission page and are due by Sunday, March 16, 2025, 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 materials. For example, you can submit the abstract information below by the March 16 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

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.

Templates Available for Research Posters

A series of research poster templates are available to help CNS researchers present their findings at conferences and events. These templates are available to students, faculty and staff. Poster templates support research posters in two sizes, offering eight different styles, with a variety of layout options for each style.

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.

For more assistance with poster design, check out the Office of Undergraduate Research Poster Design Workshops, Guide to Creating Research Posters, or join the OUR Poster Design Canvas Course.

Videos

You will also record and upload a video file, 3 minutes long maximum, 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 Sunday, April 6, 11:59pm CT . Your poster and video files will be available on the Forum web site from Wed, Apr 9, 8am - Friday, Apr 11, 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 Forum on Friday, April 11th will have access to free poster printing services 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 17th. We will contact 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.

For additional questions, please contact us at cns.exl@austin.utexas.edu

Online Reviews and Judging: Wed, Apr 9 - Fri, Apr 11, 2025

In addition to printing your poster that you will hand carry to the Forum on the day of the event, presenters will upload presentation materials - which includes the abstract, a poster file, and a video file describing the research project - to the Forum site for viewing and evaluation by judges and guests from Wednesday April 9th at 8am through Friday April 11th 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

Tuesday April 8, 2025 at 5pm 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 Networking 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. RSVP above!

  • We'll have faculty and peer-mentors share pointers on how to talk about your research in a poster-session setting.

  • Previous forum participants will lead a Q &A session to answer any questions you may have about what to expect on the day of the forum and during the event.

  • If you'd like to practice talking about your research, we'll have a round-robin event where you can practice explaining your research to peer-mentors and receive feed-back in a low-stakes, informal setting.

  • Food! Come for the snacks, and stay for whatever part of the event you'd like.

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.

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 forum. You may also update your poster and audio submissions through your account. If you need to re-upload your poster/audio file, 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, guests, and members of the award committee to view projects virtually and provide comments and feedback to students.

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 decision 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. Drew's Monday email newsletter 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, 2025 via direct deposit.

Questions about Posters:

How do I get my poster printed?

Our Office of Experiential Learning office offers free printing services for all URF presenters and FRI research groups. The Experiential Learning office will notify participants that their poster has been printed. Once they receive this confirmation, they may stop by PAI 5.60 at designated time blocks to retrieve it.

CNS also offers poster templates that are student and print-friendly. More information at their website here.

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 on April 17th where you can practice the best techniques for presenting a research poster to an audience. You can find more information about our prep workshop in the schedule above.

I have questions about the incentives for early poster submissions. Where can I get more information about this?

This year, we will be incentivizing early submissions of posters in order to make sure everyone is able to get their posters printed for free in time.

Submit your poster file EARLY by Friday March 28 at 11:59pm and you’ll get the latest color Texas Science t-shirt!

All incentives will be given out as supplies last. Items will be given out when participants pick-up their posters

All participants MUST to submit their posters files before the FINAL poster printing deadline on Thursday April 3rd at 11:59pm in order to get your poster printed for free through our office. Once your 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 your poster printing file.

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 3rd at 11:59pm. However, you may continue to edit your virtual poster file and video materials for using your account until Sunday April 6th, 11:59 pm CT.

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 in previous years. Am I eligible to receive an award this year?

Yes you are. There are no current restrictions for repeat winners at previous Forums.

Questions about Submissions:

Do I need to submit a new form every time I am ready to upload my abstract/audio file/poster file?

You may edit your submission through your account at any time. Please continue to use this form to submit your materials instead of creating new forms for each submission.

Powered by