The Honors College and the Office of Undergraduate Research sponsor UWG Scholars' Day to recognize and celebrate all the wonderful, innovative academic work UWG students are doing. We hope you will join us for this year's virtual conference on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, from 12:30-5:00PM.

students

UWG Scholars' Day Undergraduate Research Conference

WHO: ANY undergraduate at the University of West Georgia, regardless of major, is invited to submit an abstract for presentation. All faculty, staff, students, and other interested community members are encouraged to attend the conference.

WHAT: We invite research or creative works presentations in the following formats:

  • Oral Presentation (for individual submission or full panels/sessions)
  • Poster Presentation (for research or creative works)
  • Visual Arts Presentation (for sculpture, painting, photography, etc.)
  • Performance Presentation (for drama, music, theater, creative writing, etc.)

WHERE: The 2021 conference will be a virtual event. A full program and session links will be provided as soon as those are available. 

WHEN: April 6, 2021, 12:30-5:00PM

HOW TO GET INVOLVED: Interested students should submit abstracts here. Submissions will open on January 12, 2021.
Be sure to click on the blue University of West Georgia Login button to login with your UWG credentials. 
For submission details and a description of the presentation formats, read the presentation information below.

Submit an Abstract

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 1, 2021

  • Presentation Information
    Oral Presentation (for Individual Submissions)

    Oral presentations are 15 minutes in length with five additional minutes allotted to each presenter for questions. Paper submissions may focus on any academic discipline and will be reviewed and grouped into interdisciplinary panels/sessions of 3-4 papers by a selection committee. 

    Students proposing an oral presentation should submit a well-written 200 word abstract that summarizes the student’s research, including outcomes. In addition, abstracts should clearly state the significance of the project in terms that can be understood by a general scholarly audience and clearly convey the student’s original analytical, critical, or creative contribution to his or her discipline.

    Panel/Session Presentation

    A group of students may submit a proposal for a panel/session of three papers that can either be within one discipline or interdisciplinary. Each student on the panel/session will have 15 minutes to present their paper with an additional 5 minutes allotted to each presenter for questions. 

    Students proposing a panel/session should each independently submit a 200 word abstract. The abstract submission will require students to list the other presenters' names and emails and the three abstracts will be grouped together into one panel presentation. 

    Poster Presentation

    Students may present original research or creative works in the virtual poster session. Research should be presented in the form of a standard poster with video recording (further instructions and information will be sent to accepted poster presenters). Students and their faculty advisors should carefully review the poster guidelines information below for information about poster design.

    Students wishing to participate in the Poster Sessions submit a well-written 200 word abstract that summarizes the student’s research, including outcomes. In addition, abstracts should clearly state the significance of the project in terms that can be understood by a general scholarly audience and clearly convey the student’s original analytical, critical, or creative contribution to his or her discipline.

    Visual Arts Presentation

    Students wishing to participate in a visual arts presentation should submit a well-written 200 word abstract that summarizes the student’s artistic work. In addition, abstracts should clearly state the significance of the project in terms that can be understood by a general scholarly audience and clearly convey the student’s creative contribution to his or her discipline.  Students should also upload at least 5 images of their work.

    Performing Arts Presentation

    Performance presentations give students opportunities to present their performance based projects in a 15 minute virtual format.

    Students proposing a performance presentation should submit a 200 word abstract describing the performance and its significance. Students should convey their original, critical and creative contribution to the discipline. 

  • Poster Guidelines
    1. Posters should be electronically generated prior to the conference but do not need to be printed for this year's virtual event. Accepted poster presenters will receive full instructions and information regarding how to create their poster presentations. Please see the directions below that we typically use for in-person events, as presenters should still create a research poster. 
    2. The recommended maximum size for posters is 36" x 48" Landscape.  (Poster board backing is usually provided at in-person presentation events for 36" X 48" dimensions that can be used in either landscape or portrait format and can adjust to a 24 X 36 format as well.)  If you would like to use alternative dimensions, please contact the OUR.
    3. Your poster should be constructed so that it presents the desired information in a self-explanatory manner. It's telling a story. See the 3 X 3 rule: “The ‘3-3 Rule’ generally states that the poster can be understood by a viewer from 3 feet away in 3 minutes. This rule was conceived to encourage presenters to convey their information clearly to the public. It is not meant to trivialize presentations into just pretty formats without serious content. Rather, the objective is to structure the presentation of data and information in a simple, understandable format – a story without large blocks of text. The intent is for the presenter to think like the viewer—is the story clearly presented with only its essential elements? The ‘Viewer’ includes not only fellow researchers in your field, but also the entire university audience and ultimately the general public. Streamlining makes the storyline easy to understand. This understanding facilitates interaction. However, the research must still be sound, e.g., conclusions clearly stated and supported by results.”
    4. Keep your poster simple and brief. A poster is not a place for you to tack up your entire body of research for people to read. Instead, think of a poster as a series of highly efficient, organized panels (a storyboard) upon which appear synopses of the relevant information you want to convey just enough to get your point across.
    5. Organize your poster materials using headings, such as Introduction, The Research Question, The Methodology, and Findings, Conclusion.... These headings will help establish a logical flow to your poster.
    6. Use large enough fonts so people will not have to squint to read the material. For headings, use at least a 48-point font. For text, use nothing less than 18-point (Larger is preferable).
    7. Make your poster visually appealing. Have fun. Be creative. Incorporate color. Use photographs, graphs, charts, maps, and the like. Simplify charts and figures to include only relevant information. Be attentive to the layout and placement of your materials.
    8. Place the title of your work in a prominent position on your poster. Include your name and your faculty sponsor. Add other acknowledgements at the bottom of the poster.
    9. Take great care to plan and organize it well. Make sure it communicates the intended information in an interesting, visual manner. Ask your faculty mentor to proof your work.
    10. For additional information, please contact Kate Theobald at kate@westga.edu. 
  • Program

    Click here to view the 2021 Undergraduate Research Conference Program (PDF, 893K)

    Previous Programs

 Academic Honors Convocation

Each year, the University of West Georgia holds its annual Honors Convocation to honors students who have demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement.

For over five decades, West Georgia has recognized the achievements of its superior students at Honors Convocation. Students are selected for awards by the faculty in their disciplines. They must possess at least a 3.2 overall GPA and fulfill all additional departmental requirements to be chosen.  These are the best and brightest UWG students who are being honored by their faculty. View list of award recipients.

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