SURC Presentation Information

SUNY undergraduates in all academic fields are invited to submit proposals to present their independent research and creative activity projects at the 2019 SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC), to be held on April 26 at SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury.

Students are encouraged to submit proposals to present their original:

  • Research (15-minute oral presentation includes Q&A; or one-hour poster presentation)
  • Creative writing (15-minute reading/interpretive presentation includes Q&A)
  • Visual art (15-minute interpretive presentation with slides includes Q&A; or one-hour poster presentation)
  • Music composition (up to 20-minute performance/interpretative commentary includes Q&A)
  • Dance choreography (up to 20-minute performance/interpretative commentary includes Q&A)
  • Theatrical script (up to 20-minute performance/interpretative commentary includes Q&A)

Upon submission, students abstracts will be emailed to their faculty mentors for their review. When the SURC Committee receives faculty mentor approval by email, it will forward student abstracts to a panel of faculty reviewers for evaluation based on the criteria below and the standards of the specific academic discipline.

If you have questions, contact SURC@suny.edu.

Eligible Undergraduate Student Research and Creative Projects

  • Produced by student(s) under faculty supervision or in collaboration with faculty
  • Associated with: thesis and/or capstone project; advanced methods, independent research, applied learning or other course (in which project represents substantial research or creative work); summer research experience
  • Based on advanced methodologies in the discipline and (in the case of research) on relevant data (statistical, lab, field, or survey) or primary source material

Submission Information

  • Please have the following information available when submitting your presentation proposal:
  • Primary presenter name, e-mail address, phone number, college/university, academic field
  • Faculty mentor name and e-mail address
  • Secondary presenter(s) name(s) and e-mail address(es)
  • Presentation type: oral presentation; poster presentation; performance  
  • Presentation title, abstract (200-300 words)
  • Special equipment or space requests

Abstract Guidelines

An abstract is a one-paragraph summary of your project. 

Abstract should clearly and concisely:

  • Identify the central research question, objective, or thesis of the project
  • Summarize the methodology and/or findings of the research or creative work
  • State conclusions, significance, and/or current state of the project 

In addition:

  • Abstracts should be written at college level (e.g. spelling, grammar, clarity, etc.) since they will include names of student(s) and faculty mentor.
  • Upon submission, abstracts will be sent to faculty mentors for approval. Abstracts that do not receive faculty mentor support will not be accepted.
  • There is a limit of one presentation proposal/abstract per primary author. 

Abstract Format:

  • Titles should be bolded, short and specific, and in mixed UPPER and lower case letters.
  • Use 12-point Times New Roman font.
  • Abstract should be 200-300 words.
  • Include plain text only- DO NOT include tables, charts, pictures, foreign characters, or scientific symbols.
  • The title and abstract will appear in the conference program exactly as inputted, so double check spelling, punctuation, and clarity of prose.

Sample Abstracts

The idiom “cold feet” can be interpreted as a sudden reversal of commitment, such as a groom’s change of mind about getting married. This phrase may in fact represent a cardiovascular response to stress orchestrated by the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS). The SNS can be activated by both physical and psychological stimuli. Its response to light exercise is diverting blood away from the skin toward skeletal muscle which cools the skin down. You could hypothesize that psychological duress could trigger a sympathetic response which redirects blood from the skin cooling it down.  The purpose of this project was to assess whether public speaking, a situation common to the classroom can initiate an anxious response by the cardiovascular system which causes a cooling of the skin. Twenty four students in Human Physiology class participated in this study. Electrocardiograph, heart rate and skin temperature were obtained on each student at rest, light exercise and during public speaking using the Biopac System. The mean surface body temperature was significantly lower during the time students were public speaking (Avg. 85 0F) than at rest (Avg. 89 0F) P < .01. The results would suggest that a sympathetic response to psychological stress was the culprit.

Alzheimer’s disease has a complex mechanism and is not fully understood. As many Alzheimer’s patients have no family history of this disease, it may be implied that a metabolic or environmental factor is a cause. These patients’ brains present deposits mainly composed of amyloid beta-peptides (AB). Some toxins have shown to elevate beta-amyloid precursor protein (ABPP) expression, thereby increasing AB peptide levels. Some pesticides contain manganese, which in high doses can be toxic and has been shown to increase NF-kappa-B, which activates the transcription of ABPP and AB production. It is hypothesized that the manganese containing pesticides maneb (MB) and mancozeb (MZ) will also increase the expression of ABPP and eventually increase the production of AB. To this end neuroblastoma N1E-115 cells were grown and treated with various concentrations of MB and MZ to create dose-response curves. ABPP expression was measured through Western blot analysis; AB expression was measured through both Western blot analysis and ELISA. Western blot data indicated that ABPP and AB expressions increased in a dose-dependent manner of MZ exposure, but not after MB exposure. Our results suggest MZ increased the expressions of ABPP as early as after 24 hours exposure and that MZ is a stronger inducer for AB expression. In the future, the transcription activation of ABPP after MB and MZ treatments will be determined by using real time PCR.

A survey of students was conducted to test the idea that use of electronic devices in the classroom is related to class participation, grades, and satisfaction with school. To collect data on use of electronic devices, and on educational variables, we randomly distributed a paper survey to 53 students on the local college campus. Students who reported frequent use of cell phones during class also reported the lowest level of participation in class and the lowest overall grades. Satisfaction with the course was not correlated to cell phone or computer use. There was a significant gender difference with females reporting the highest use of cell phones in class. Results suggest that women might be losing their academic advantage over men due to increased cell phone use in the classroom.

This paper investigates various scholarly interpretations of the formless construct of American prose poetry since the 1950’s. It uses post-structuralist theory to deconstruct poets Robert Bly’s, CK Williams’s, and Michael Klein’s writing style and iteration of the prose form. Building on literary scholar David Orr’s contention that poetry is intensely personal and “the pure expression of our inner lives,” this project discusses how each poet exemplifies the idea of personal poetry in unique ways. Bly uses the prose form to illuminate the objects around him as he utilizes traditional poetic conventions of image and metaphor to “see” the world and his place in it in novel ways. Williams’s prose style is modern, conversational, and informal as he discusses the death of a loved one or a New York City cab ride. Last, Klein adopts a contemporary confessional style, engaging the reader on a deeply intimate level, sometimes uncomfortably so. Alongside close readings of Bly, Williams, and Klein’s prose poetry, this paper also engages the current conversation on the prose poetry “form,” claiming identifiers that help define true prose poetry.

Presentations

Student presenters have 10 minutes to speak from organized talking points or read from a polished paper about their scholarly project, followed by a 5 minute Q & A. They will have access to a computer, PowerPoint, projection and Internet/wifi capabilities and be placed in sessions of three to four presenters around common themes and disciplines. Session chairs will introduce presenters, ensure they do not exceed their allotted speaking time, and facilitate audience questions and discussion after the presentations.

Preparing Presentations

  • Prepare and practice your presentation so that it is concise, clear, evidenced and effectively delivered.
  • Your presentation must be no more than 15 minutes, to include Q&A.
  • Your topic, thesis and/or methodology should be accessible to your audience, which may include people who are not specialists in your field.
  • Effective delivery includes good pace; appropriate volume; inviting posture, smile and eye contact; straightforward organization; and effective use of Power Point and handouts (beware of too many or too few Power Point slides!).
  • Seek editorial assistance and a practice audience from peers and/or faculty advisor(s).

Day of the Conference

  • Know the scheduled time and location of your presentation. Arrive early; locate your presentation room; arrive to your panel session at least 10 minutes early; if relevant, load your PowerPoint presentation on the room computer.  Out of respect to your fellow presenters, it is expected that you will attend your entire session, not only your portion.
  • Introduce yourself to the session chair. S/he is there to support you; provide info so that s/he can introduce you before your presentation.
  • Bring presentation materials: notes; essay/talking points; visual aids, handouts and/or PowerPoint (on a thumb drive).
  • Present yourself well: dress professionally, wear your nametag, turn off or silence your cell phone and/or personal computer.
  • Be prepared to learn: this is an opportunity to confidently share your hard work and to humbly look forward to respectful questions and constructive feedback.
  • Good news: being nervous does not hurt your credibility or authority.
  • Have fun and enjoy!
     

Student poster presenters will spend one hour-long session standing next to their poster. They will speak about their research project to faculty and students and entertain questions from those who pass by. They will have a designated session and location at the SURC event for their poster presentation.  

Display panels and clips will be provided, along with hanging assistance from SUNY Adirondack and Plattsburgh students and staff.

Preparing Posters

  • The maximum poster size allowed for SURC @ SUNY Adirondack and Plattsburgh is 48x36 inches. There is no need to mount the poster on a board of any kind.
  • Most people create their work using Microsoft PowerPoint. When setting up your document you will need to reset the document size to the size of your poster (Be mindful of page orientation).
  • Prepare a poster that is informative and graphically appealing.
  • Poster should include the presenter name, co-authors, academic program, home college or university, faculty advisor(s) and project title.
  • Poster should clearly and concisely detail the project’s topic, scope, methodology, results (evidence, source material) and conclusions (thesis, interpretations).
  • Minimize detail in your poster content, focus on highlighting the main points that are important in your research study. Avoid use of jargon, try to write for a scientifically sophisticated audience, but not necessarily an audience that is specific to your discipline.  In other words, Psychology students and faculty may be reading Biology posters, etc., so they need to be understandable to everyone.
  • Use visual elements in your poster. A poster that consists of only paragraphs of text can be boring. Aim for presenting at least some of your information in other ways.  For example, you can use graphs or tables in your results section, with just bulleted points to explain the graphs/tables. Or in your method section, you may use bullets to present information about participants and/or materials.  You may also include photos illustrating your topic. This is the part where you get to be more creative than when you write a typical paper.
  • You are encouraged to work drafts of the poster through your campus faculty advisor.

Creating the poster in PowerPoint

  • The basic idea is that you make a HUGE PowerPoint slide that corresponds to a printed page that is typically 48 inches x 36 inches. So the first step in PowerPoint is to go under the "DESIGN" tab, choose Page Setup. Choose a custom size, and enter 36 inches for the width and 48 inches for the height. If you want the landscape orientation, make sure to specifically choose that.
  • Under the Home tab, in the Slides section on the toolbar, use the Layout menu to choose “BLANK” format. Then from the "INSERT" tab, choose to add a new textbox, and type in your text, or you can also copy and paste from a word document. You will probably have to size the textbox to make it look right on the slide. Choose your background design from the options under the "DESIGN" tab. Note that other background designs can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.
  • You may need to change the zoom size to 25 or 30% to see the whole poster/page in the window, but you will probably need it larger to see what you are typing. You will want to use a large font, at least size 18 or 24.The font should also be clean and plain, such as Times New Roman, or Calibri, no fancy script.
  • Under the "INSERT" tab, there are also options to include graphs or pictures from other files.​

Preparing Your Presentation

  • Prepare a brief (3-5 minute) summary of your work for people who ask what your project is about.
  • Practice your presentation so that it is concise, clear, evidenced and effectively delivered.
  • Seek editorial assistance and a practice audience from peers and/or faculty advisor(s).

Day of the Conference

  • All poster presentations will be located at the designated SURC facility at the host institution.
  • Know the scheduled time of your poster presentation. Volunteers and signs will direct you to your specific table location. Arrive at least 10 minutes early to set up your poster.
  • If you decide to supplement your poster with an electronic display, you must bring your own fully charged laptop/tablet as the facility cannot provide power in the poster display area.
  • Present yourself well: dress professionally, wear your nametag, and turn off or silence your cell phone or personal computer.
  • Consider bringing a contact info sheet/card to distribute to people interested in your work, including your name, home college or university, academic program, email and/or phone number, title of your poster and/or abstract of your project.
  • Be prepared to learn: this is an opportunity to confidently share your hard work and humbly look forward to respectful questions and constructive feedback.
  • Good news: being nervous does not hurt your credibility or authority. Have fun and enjoy!

Student presenters are assigned a specific time and location to perform their work. They will have access to a computer, PowerPoint, projection, a sound system, and Internet/wifi capabilities, and will be placed in sessions with common themes. Presenters will not have access to technical staff or theatre/stage capacities (e.g. curtain, special lighting). Session chairs will introduce presenters, ensure they do not exceed their allotted time, and facilitate audience questions and discussion after the presentations.

  • Music composition (up to 20-minute performance/interpretative commentary includes Q&A)
  • Dance choreography (up to 20-minute performance/interpretative commentary includes Q&A)
  • Theatrical script (up to 20-minute performance/interpretative commentary includes Q&A)

Preparing Presentations

  • Rehearse your performance and consider attire, physical demeanor and stage presence.
  • Garner feedback from faculty and peers as much as possible.
  • Prepare all necessary presentation notes, props, costumes, musical/visual material, instruments, etc.

Day of the Conference

  • Present yourself well: dress professionally, wear your name tag, and turn off or silence your cell phone or personal computer.
  • Know the scheduled time and location of your presentation. Arrive early; locate your presentation room.  Out of respect to your fellow presenters, it is expected that you attend your entire session, not only your portion.
  • Prepare (if relevant) your stage, ensemble, costume, music, visual material, etc. Get comfortable, stretch, tune your instruments, etc.
  • Introduce yourself to the session chair. S/he is there to support you; provide info so that s/he can introduce you before your presentation.
  • Be prepared to learn: this is an opportunity to confidently share your hard work and to humbly look forward to respectful questions and constructive feedback.
  • Good news: being nervous does not hurt your credibility or authority.
  • Recognize performers and find time for bows.
  • Have fun and enjoy!

Cautions

  • Know the setup of the stage so you can safely navigate it.
  • Technology is fickle; bring a backup plan for your technical needs (e.g. having a CD if the iPod player isn’t working). Prepare a backup even when working with live music.