Undergraduate Research Symposium
More than 3,500 faculty, staff, students, and community members attend the Undergraduate Research Symposium to connect with students and learn about their research.
The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity helps students find research opportunities and organizes the annual Undergraduate Symposium each April. The symposium is a platform for students in sciences, humanities, engineering, business, education, and the arts to share their ideas, research, and discoveries.
Student opportunities
Presenting at the symposium gives you the chance to share your research, get feedback, and build professional skills. It’s an opportunity to connect with peers, faculty, and industry professionals. Even if research isn’t your career path, this experience can stand out to employers and graduate schools. In fact, 87% of employers say they’re more likely to hire recent graduates with research experience.
Faculty
Attend and be a reviewer at the symposium to connect with students and talk with them about their work. Your presence supports the time and effort they put into their research and creative projects. It’s also a chance to help first-time presenters gain experience, build confidence, and improve how they share their ideas.
Reviewers and visitors
Consider signing up to be a reviewer or attend the event to show your support for the time and effort students have put into their research and creative projects. It also gives first-time presenters a valuable opportunity to practice sharing their work and learn from the questions they receive.
Schedule-at-a-glance
The symposium is held on April 24, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the High Country Conference Center.
- Session 1: 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. (High Country Conference Center, 1899 Ballroom, and Drury)
- Session 2: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (High Country Conference Center, 1899 Ballroom, and Drury)
- Session 3: 12:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (High Country Conference Center, 1899 Ballroom, and Drury)
- Session 4: 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (High Country Conference Center, 1899 Ballroom, and Drury)
Preview presentations, search for topics of interest, and find your student’s assigned presentation time and location in our online gallery.
Reviewer FAQs
Can U view the symposium presentations virtually?
All presenters are required to upload a copy of their poster or presentation and are strongly encouraged to include a video. View all uploaded presentations through the online public gallery.
Where do I park? What if I don’t have an NAU parking pass?
Parking will be available for campus visitors at no charge in the High Country Conference Center (building 58) on Dupont Ave. NAU faculty, staff, and students are asked to follow the standard parking protocol.
What time should I arrive?
Please check your reviewing assignments to determine when you should arrive. If you are scoring only posters, you should plan to arrive 15 minutes before the start of your session (8:30 a.m. for Session 1, 10:30 am for Session 2, 12:30 pm for Session 3, or 2:30 p.m. for Session 4) to ensure you have enough time to visit your assigned presentations. For oral presentations, you should plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of the presentation allowing you time to check-in and proceed to the presentation room.
What are the reviewing criteria? Do I only review the poster content or do I also review how the student discusses their project during the event?
Each college uses the same scoring rubric based on the nature of their students’ projects. These scoring rubrics will be available in the reviewer portal when you open each individual presentation. Generally speaking, you will be scoring the quality of the abstract, the information included on the poster or in the oral presentation, the presentation skills of the student (including how they present the poster when you talk to them), and the overall impact of the presentation.
What is the process for scoring presentations? What should I bring?
The scoring rubrics and assigned projects will be available through our online portal. Since we will have a large number of volunteer reviewers, we ask that you bring a laptop or tablet (not a smart phone) that can be used to access the web. For those who don’t have a device, but are willing to score online, we will have a limited number of devices available for use. If you prefer to score on paper, we will also have printouts of the rubrics, pens/pencils, and a limited number of clipboards available.
We will provide reminders on how to access the link in the Reviewers’ Area on the day of the event.
How many posters or talking am I expected to review?
You will be assigned 3-5 posters or oral presentations to review unless your availability only allows you to score one or two presentations. If you are interested in scoring more than your assigned projects, please let us know and we will be happy to assign additional projects to you.
How much time do you recommend I spend with each poster?
This can vary based on the topic of the presentation you are scoring. The most important thing is to make sure you are able to get enough information to provide meaningful feedback based on the scoring rubric criteria. Typically, reviewers will spend 15-20 minutes with each poster presenter.
Do I turn in my feedback at the end of each session or at the end of the day?
Scoring will be done through our online system and should be completed by the end of the session. Once you have entered your scores into the system, we will instantly receive them. If you will be scoring on paper, please submit your final review at the end of the session. If you need a little more time to complete your reviews, the portal will be open to reviewers until noon on Saturday, April 25. After that time, the portal will close and you will no longer be able to access your assigned projects to provide feedback.
Who should I contact to discuss any issued with reviewing or potential absences?
If you have any issues, concerns, or changes in your schedule, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity at ug-research@nau.edu or (928) 523-6656. We will also be available to help in the Reviewers’ Area (along with several volunteers) on the day of the event.
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