Undergraduate Conferences

The culmination of undergraduate research is the potential to present the student's research at an undergraduate research conference. There are several in the Midwest region that are readily accessible to UC students. These usually take place in the spring and are held on Friday afternoons and/or Saturdays to minimize the impact on classes. Prizes, up to $500 or more, are usually offered at these conferences for the top two or three presentations. UC chemistry majors have won several of these prizes in recent years. On occasion, undergraduate chemistry majors may also have an opportunity to present their research finding at regional and national meetings of the American Chemical Society, or at specialized research meetings.

In 2007-2008, UC initiated a university-wide undergraduate research poster session to display and celebrate all of the undergraduate research taking place on campus. The first such event took place June 2-6, 2008, with more than 75 undergraduates displaying posters on their research. At least ten of these were chemistry majors. While no formal judging took place, faculty evaluators interacted with the students and provided valuable feedback to each student. This session concluded with a luncheon for all of the presenters and faculty. This event is likely to be continued in future years.