The Office of Undergraduate Research offers educational events on topics of interest to undergraduate student researchers and their faculty mentors. These events are open to all and are designed specifically with undergraduate students in mind.
The Fall 2021 URES will be a combination of virtual and in person events, with previously recorded sessions also available. Full schedule available below.
Current UROP students are required to attend or watch 2 events (must be completed by last day of class: December 9). These can be live virtual or in person events, or previously recorded videos. Attendance will be tracked through logins to live events and evaluation forms for videos.
Out of concern for safety and social distancing, in person events will be limited to 20 attendees. Please register ASAP if you intend to attend these events and cancel if your plans change. (Registration will close after the max limit is reached.) Previously recorded versions of these events will be posted after each in person event has ended.
If you are outside of the University of Utah (if you do not have a UNID), you can access these videos and materials HERE.
A flier for the Fall 2021 series can be found HERE.
Sept 2
12:15 - 1:15 PM
Introduction to the Institutional Review Board (IRB)
VIRTUAL EVENT Presented by Gary Henderson
View Presentation recording >>
Presentation PPT >>
In this session, you will learn the basic history of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), what counts as Human Subjects research, and how and when you might need to use the IRB while doing research here at the U. This session is good for anyone who is or is interested in doing research with Human Subjects at any stage of their research.
Student feedback from this session:
"I plan on using my experience within UROP to better prepare myself for graduate school and the technical writing that involves. I think this presentation was a good introduction to abstracts and helped strengthen my skills as a writer and technical communicator."
"I think it was highly valuable to learn more about the topic. To be around other academic minds and hear how they analyze an abstract or what makes one work and one uninteresting will be very helpful in my academic career. I hope to attend more like this in the future."
"The interactive parts were very helpful and I really liked that I could help steer the conversation to being more helpful specifically to me."
Oct 5
2 - 3PM
Writing Abstracts
Presented by Nkenna Onwuzuruoha
View Presentation Recording >>
View presentation pdf>>
View presentation handout>>
In this session, you will learn about how to write an effective research abstract. You will work on framing your research project concisely and accurately. You will leave ready to write your research abstract. This seminar is most useful for students currently needing to write an abstract. It is also useful for students developing how to think about their project.
Student feedback from this session:
"I plan on using my experience within UROP to better prepare myself for graduate school and the technical writing that involves. I think this presentation was a good introduction to abstracts and helped strengthen my skills as a writer and technical communicator."
"I think it was highly valuable to learn more about the topic. To be around other academic minds and hear how they analyze an abstract or what makes one work and one uninteresting will be very helpful in my academic career. I hope to attend more like this in the future."
"The interactive parts were very helpful and I really liked that I could help steer the conversation to being more helpful specifically to me."
Oct 21
11am - 12PM
Literature Reviews
IN PERSON EVENT presented by Jenny Andrus
REGISTER HERE >>
In this session, you will learn how to conduct and construct a literature review. This will focus organizing and writing the review - constructing the story that you want to tell. As all students and researchers will have to sift through relevant literature at some point, this will be useful to all researchers.
Student feedback from this session:
"Very informative yet concise. Gave me exactly what I needed to write a lit review in a relatively short amount of time. Class participation was also very helpful."
"A nice exploration and summary of what a literature review is, while introducing aspects what makes a literature review good that you may have not necessarily considered."
"I did not know too much about the subject and it was very informative. I liked the breakout sessions to discuss and create a small literature review."
Oct 28
1 - 2PM
Creating Effective Research Posters
IN PERSON EVENT presented by Taylor Sparks
Register here >>
In this workshop, you will learn about the characteristics of effective research poster design and how to use some tools to use to prepare a research poster. This session covers the content and aesthetics of research posters. This seminar is most useful for students currently needing to create a research poster but is also helpful for students thinking about how to talk about their project. This session will also be useful for students who are ready to start creating images for their posters.
Resources for this session will be shared in a designated Box folder. Please check this folder before attending this session!
Student feedback from this session:
"More than just posters - more like 'presenting research effectively' I appreciated that it's early in the semester - good big picture stuff"
"This is my favorite session I have been to. He really helped us think about what to say at a conference when presenting a poster. I also really enjoyed the figures portion. I wouldn't have thought about that."
"This was the most useful URES I've been to. It had immediate practical application. And gave me new tools."
Nov 5
11:30am - 12:30PM
When the antidote is the poison: Current research on social justice and mathematics education
VIRTUAL EVENT presented by José Gutiérrez
Register here >>
Does trying to achieve equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEI) in mathematics education work against broader social justice efforts? This presentation will explore recent trends in research on DEI and social justice in mathematics education and discuss the role teachers play in resisting (or perpetuating) systems of oppression. This session would benefit any student in thinking about the intersection of education and social justice, especially those involved in STEM, education, or social justice work.
Nov 17
11:15am - 12:15PM
Translating Research into a Resume
VIRTUAL EVENT presented by Crystal Cory
Register here >>
In this session, you will learn which parts of and how to highlight your research experience on an academic resume. It is all about marketing! Please come prepared with a draft of your resume so that you may workshop it in the session. This session will be helpful to students at any point in their research, as keeping up a resume is a constant project.
Student feedback from this session:
"Despite research being very technical, the skills gained are very transferrable to a resume or cover letter despite what you think. This is what this session teaches you."
"This was a helpful curse in outlining the importance of having/making a cohesive resume that is applicable & impressive for any interview or job. It was helpful to see a clear outline on how to write statements for your resume."
"Super helpful to people who are clueless about hiring/career/internships. I have a very basic (entry level) resume. This things I learned in this will help my entry level job experience look like I am a pro."
Dec 1
2:30 - 3:30PM
Funding Grad School
VIRTUAL EVENT presented by Matthew Plooster
Register here >>
In this session, you will learn about applying for competitive awards for graduate students, including where to find opportunities and making a plan for applying. Funding is often confusing and difficult to navigate for graduate students so this session would be helpful to any student who is interested in attending graduate school.
Microaggressions and Research
Presented by Ella Blanchard
View Recording here >>
Presentation PPT >>
Presentation Handout >>
In this workshop, you will learn about what microaggressions are, a bit about how they impact folks, how to identify them when you or others are performing them, and how to deal with/respond to them. This session is important for every student, as the content directly contributes to your overall working environment and helps develop an atmosphere of respect.
"This was a really powerful workshop. Understanding bias and power is important for research because we are working with communities and people directly or indirectly. It's also better to be mindful of others and their situations to make kinder and more aware world. This workshop helped me to think critically about the language I use and the context of that language. Also, Ella is just an amazing person and made the workshop very fun."
"It was very useful to understand our privilege as researchers to better drive and create solid research."
"It is very important to understand how you affect your coworkers when you use microaggressions."
Responsible Conduct of Research
Presented by James Tabery
View Recording here >>
In this session, you will learn about some of the history of ethics in research and how to identify some common terms used in conversations about responsible conduct of research. This session is useful to any student involved in research, as an introduction or a reminder about ethical conduct and debates in research.
Public Speaking
Presented by Sydney Cheek-O'Donnell
View Recording here >>
In this session, you will hear about techniques for and issues with effective public speaking. You will learn how to present in a variety of formats. This session is useful for any student, as public speaking is both necessary in research dissemination and takes a lot of practice.
How to Read a Research Article
Presented by Behrad Noudoost
View Recording Here>>
presentation Handout >>
In this session, you will learn about how to read a research article effectively. You will be given tips and strategies for how to read scholarly journal articles. This seminar in appropriate for any student who needs to read contemporary research in their field.
How to Keep Up with Literature
Presented by Allyson Mower
View REcording Here >>
Presentation Handout >>
In this session, you will learn how to keep up with and track literature in a time when research productivity is so high and publications come out constantly. You will learn about a few tools that might assist you in tracking the relevant literature in your area and how to discern which publications will be helpful to their research. This session will be helpful to any student in a field with high research productivity.
Increasing Diverse Representation in Research
Presented by Ofer Rog
view Presentation Recording >>
In this session, you will discuss challenges to increasing representation in research in terms of thinking critically about which papers are selected to be in syllabi, invited speakers, power structures, role models, etc. Dr. Rog will lead this discussion-based session with a focus on choices he has made when teaching his courses. This session will be good for any student who wants to be thoughtful about who they are reading, citing, learning from, and how those choices relate to current academic power structures. This session will be guided by your questions, so submit questions via the link below and come ready to discuss!
Giving Virtual Presentations
Presented by Colin Adamo
View PResentation Recording >>
In this session, you will learn some tips and tricks for presenting virtually. This is a newer phenomenon, given the present pandemic, and poses its own set of challenges for effective presentation and keeping your audience engaged. Learning how to present well in a virtual format will be beneficial for students in any stage of their research.
Myths About Doing Disciplinary Research: The Value of Working Across Disciplines.
Panelists:
Jacqueline Eaton, PhD, Assistant Professor, Gerontology Interdisciplinary Program, College of Nursing
Gretchen Case, PhD, MA, Associate Professor, Chief, Program in Medical Ethics and Humanities, School of Medicine
View Presentation Recording >>
Is research in STEM fields inherently different from research in the humanities, arts, and social sciences? During this session we will explore the shared features of research across disciplines and the value of interdisciplinary work. This session would benefit students in any field who are interested in bridging the disciplinary divide either to do interdisciplinary work or to understand more about how these myths inform our understanding of the broader research culture.
Reflection as Part of the Research Process
Presented by Robyn Moreno
View Presentation Recording here >>
View presentation pDF>>
Reflection, though a necessary part of the research process, is not often explicitly discussed or taught. This session will help you intentionally incorporate reflection into to your daily research and at the end of an experience. This session is useful for any student at any point in their research experience.
Chemistry in Everyday Life
Presented by Chideraa Nwachukwu
View Video of this Presentation>>
In this session, you will work on seeing chemistry in everyday life and how to use those everyday example to help you translate your research to non-specialists in your field. This is a new topic and will be helpful for any student who needs to convey technical information to a general audience or who just loves chemistry!
Strong Writing in STEM
Presented by David Belnap
View video of this presentation>>
view handout for this Presentation>>
In this session, you will learn about writing standards in STEM fields and will work on some helpful techniques for executing strong writing. Although this session is aimed at STEM fields, much of the advice will carry over to other fields as well and will be relevant for any student doing research.
Doing Research Remotely: Tools, Resources and Strategies for Success
Presented by Donna Ziegenfuss
View video of this presentation>>
view materials for this Presentation>>
Are you doing research remotely this semester? This session will present tools, resources, and strategies to help you conduct virtual research. Online tools can provide an online space for collaboration, communication, as well as conducting and disseminating research. Come and bring your own challenges and lessons learned to share with this community of research.
Giving and Receiving Helpful Feedback
Presented by Janis Louie
View Video of this Presentation>>
In this interactive session, you will learn how to approach giving and receiving feedback in a productive manner. Communication is key to your relationship with your mentor and your success in research overall and feedback can be hard to deliver and hard to hear. This session will be beneficial to anyone, as we all give and receive feedback in every area of life.
Doing Library Research
Presented by Donna Ziegenfuss
view a recording of this event >>
And use the following resources from the presentation as is helpful to you.
In this session, you will learn how to navigate the Marriott Library’s online resources and how to efficiently do library research. You will be introduced to many library resources relevant to your individual field of research including field-specific journals and citation management tools. This seminar is useful for students at any point in their project and can be revisited as online resources continue to develop.
Data Management
Presented by Daureen Nesdill
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And use the following resources from the presentation as is helpful to you.
Effective data management is not intuitive. In this session, you will learn about basic issues with data management (e.g. naming files, file storage, etc.) and you will be directed to useful data management resources. As everyone who is doing research deals with some kind of data, this seminar is relevant to all researchers.
Citation Management
Presented by Lorelei Rutledge & Erika Church
View a recording of this event >>
In this session, you will learn how to set up and use both EndNote and Zotero, commonly used citation management systems. This session will be useful for any student needing an introduction to citation management systems to build their digital libraries (yes, now is a great time to start doing that!).
Images in Scientific Writing
Presented by David Belnap
View a recording of this event >>
And use the following resource if it is useful to you.
In this session, you will learn how to create images and incorporate them into your writing. You will also discuss the importance of accurate scientific communication. Although this session focuses on a science field, the use of images is common throughout many fields and will benefit any student who will use images in their work.
Contextualizing Your Research
Presented by Shane MacFarlan
View a recording of this event >>
In this session, you will work to identify several perspectives outside of the immediate perspective of the lab or project from which you can view your work, how your work fits in with those viewpoints, and how to explain those larger perspectives of your work to an audience (in a paper, presentation, or to a community member).
How to Write A Personal Statement
Facilitated by Ann Engar
View a recording of this event >>
In this session, you will learn about the main goals of a personal statement and get some helpful guidance for how to approach writing one.
Translating Your Research to a General Audience
Facilitated by Dustin Stokes
View a recording of this event >>
Explaining your work to someone unfamiliar with your area of expertise is always challenging, but is absolutely necessary for professional dissemination (and self-marketing!). In this session, you will get some expert advice on how to make your highly technical work accessible to a variety of audience members. This session will be useful to students who need to present their work, want to discuss their work with folks outside their field, and who want to work on developing an articulate and succinct elevator talk.
Discipline Specific Writing: Engineering
Facilitated by Rob Macleod and Heather Palmer
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In this session, you will learn about strong writing within the field of Engineering.
Discipline Specific Writing: Medicine
Facilitated by Yan-Ting Shiu
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In this session, you will learn about strong writing within the field of Medicine.