Ah, spring, when all thoughts turn to celebrating undergraduate research. What? Yours don’t? Well, that is certainly where my thoughts turn. And a wonderful time of the year it is.

Undergraduate Research Week is the week of April 11 this year, and not just on our campus, but nationally, as selected by Council of Undergraduate Research, the organization that supports and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. However, each campus is encouraged to celebrate the event in our own way.

While there are so many examples of undergraduate research at UT Dallas, all of which should be celebrated, we know we could not showcase them all. But, The Office of Research and the Office of Undergraduate Education mark the week with a variety of events designed for both current and future undergraduate researchers.

The events below are open to all. If your goal is to celebrate your work, the work of your friends, the work of your students, to see what research is being done on campus, to see where you might find a lab, and/or to see if you could find a student researcher to help, we have something for you.

Monday, April 11

Undergraduate Research Panel

• 4-5pm
• TI Auditorium (ECSS 2.102)

During this event, undergraduate students and faculty researchers share their research experiences, tips on competing for research programs and fellowships, and strategies for obtaining the ideal research position.

Research Resume Workshop

• 5-6pm
• TI Auditorium (ECSS 2.102)

Students receive valuable advice on how to prepare a scientific/research-oriented resume or to strengthen an existing research resume. The workshop, sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Office of Research, and the UT Dallas Career Center, also covers best practices for approaching the research interview and guides students in preparing their best presentation during Undergraduate Research Match Day.

Tuesday, April 12

The Exley Lunch-and-Learn Information Session

• 11:30am
• Founders 2nd Floor Atrium

UT Dallas Undergraduate Researchers are encouraged to attend and learn more about publishing their work in The Exley, UT Dallas’ undergraduate research journal. Staff from The Exley will provide information on proposal submission, criteria for inclusion, and leadership opportunities on The Exley Student Team.

Also stay tuned for the announcement of the 2016 winner of the Provost’s Award for Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring announcement.

Wednesday, April 13

The Exley Luncheon

• 11:30am to 1pm
• Visitor Center Atrium

The Office of Undergraduate Education hosts an annual luncheon to celebrate the latest issue of The Exley. This event is open to all students and copies of The Exley are provided to attendees. An information table will be set up to provide information for students who are interested in learning more about publishing in the research journal. Current contributors to The Exley, as well as the annual recipients of the Patti Henry Pinch Scholarship are recognized during the luncheon.

Undergraduate Research Poster Contest

• 2- 5pm
• Visitor Center Atrium

Current recipients of the Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards discuss their research with event attendees, utilizing a research poster, and their in-person research presentation skills. Research faculty members select two semifinalists per academic discipline, all of whom advance to the final round of judging. The three final winners are selected by members of the external research community.

Thursday, April 14

Undergraduate Research Match Day

• 3-5pm
• Visitor Center Atrium

Perhaps the most popular event of the week, The Match Day event is open to all students and is designed to help pair undergraduates with faculty who are would like to add undergraduates to their research projects. Even for students not interested in joining a lab, this is a great opportunity to discover the research being done across campus.

Friday, April 15

Three Minute Thesis Competition

• 3-5pm
• CN 1.102

This is the new event for UT Dallas this year, although Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an international program. 3MT® is an academic competition that challenges PhD students to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience. Not only will this event let undergraduates get a better idea of what graduate research is being done on campus, but some of the competition’s judges will be undergraduate students as well.