Students to show off work at Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium

Rice students will have an opportunity to present their work or research to a communitywide audience April 10 at the annual Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium (RURS) in Tudor Fieldhouse.

Now in its 17th year, RURS is the leading event for undergraduates across all disciplines to present their projects and compete for recognition from schools and research centers at Rice.

“Showcasing that research at the premier symposium at Rice University is a great opportunity to communicate their projects and gain constructive feedback from a variety of stakeholders and professionals in the field,” said Brown College junior Jessica Weng, a biochemistry and cell biology major who’s serving as chairwoman of this year’s event. “RURS is also a great time and place to learn what amazing work your peers are doing in a wide range of fields and disciplines.”

Posters are the traditional medium for many students presenting their work, but RURS recognizes that they’re not always the optimal choice for students in the humanities. Oral presentations are both accepted and encouraged for humanities students. As with the poster presentations, they will be judged by a panel comprised of faculty, community leaders and graduate students.

“I am hoping to recruit people both inside and outside of Rice as judges,” Weng said.

In the meantime, the Center for Civic Leadership, one of the sponsors of RURS, will offer presentation preparation workshops in mid-February to help students sharpen their skills before the April event.

The public is invited to attend both the oral presentations, which take place between noon and 5:30 p.m., and the two poster sessions, which run from 12:30 to 5:30. And Weng hopes all who participate will stay for the awards ceremony to follow, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Hall at the Rice Memorial Center.

At the ceremony, Weng said, “students can be inspired by some keynote speaker who has contributed a lot to their field of research — and it comes with a dinner that has delicious food.”

The registration deadline for students to submit their abstracts is March 5. Those interested in judging the competition should contact the RURS student steering committee at rurs@rice.edu. For more information, visit ccl.rice.edu/rurs.