14th Annual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars Goes Virtual
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 24, 2020) — Due to measures taken around COVID-19, the University of Kentucky's Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars is going virtual.This unique opportunity gives graduating undergraduate researchers the chance to create an internet archive of their work and professionally present their faculty-mentored research despite current limitations surrounding travel and large gatherings.
The virtual event will take place from Tuesday, April 28, to Friday, May 1, on Zoom. The Zoom webinar will be open to the public until it meets its capacity of 500 people.
Each day, the showcase will include four 95-minute student presentation sessions featuring nine students per session.
“We have 153 undergrad students presenting their research, and we will be featuring seven Campus Research Partner Spotlights during our event,” said Jesi Jones-Bowman, student program and marketing specialist in the Office of Undergraduate Research. “It's been exhausting but I just knew that we had to give our students an opportunity to present their research and for us to honor and celebrate their achievements.”
There are three primary components to the 2020 Virtual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars:
1. Abstract Book
The showcase abstract book will list all students participating in the Virtual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars. This digital abstract book will be similar to the 2019 showcase abstract book, seen here
The Virtual Project Gallery will feature every showcase presenters' project, abstract and presentation organized by discipline for easy viewing. The Office of Undergraduate Research partnered with Symposium by ForagerOne to create a virtual forum to curate and share research and creative projects with the community as well as facilitate discussion among student researchers and faculty.
3. Student Virtual Presentations Visa Zoom Webinar
Students will pre-record their oral presentations of their scholarly work and upload them onto Zoom. Over the course of the four days, online attendees will have the opportunity to view the pre-recorded presentations and converse with the researchers about their projects through a live online Q&A session. The showcase will be recorded, and all presentations will be available for up to one year on the Office of Undergraduate Research website.
As in previous years, outstanding faculty mentors will also be recognized during the virtual showcase. The student nominated award is presented to UK faculty mentors for their commitment to mentoring undergraduate researchers, providing exceptional experiences for students and supporting undergraduate research initiatives on campus.
This year, a record number of faculty members were nominated.Click here to view this year's nominees.
During a time of such uncertainty, the virtual showcase is a moment when the campus community can step back from their academic routines to admire the accomplishments of students and encourage them along the path of intellectual achievement, as well as celebrate the inspiration, dedication and creativity of young scholars.
If you would like to attend the virtual showcase, follow this link. The Zoom event link and password will be included in the confirmation email and will be the same for each day, so only one registration is needed for the four-day event. To see the presentation schedule, click here. For a full list of this year’s research mentor nominees, click here.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.