Symposium: Student FAQs

The annual Undergraduate Symposium is a campus-wide celebration of student achievement. Hundreds of students from all colleges will come together to share their creative discoveries and present in-depth research and scholarly work to their peers, professors, and the University and Flagstaff communities.

The Symposium is open to everyone to present and attend.

The Symposium will occur April 24, 2026, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (MST) in the High Country Conference Center (building 58). Convert to your local time.

Students from all disciplines across the university present their work in the form of research posters, oral presentations, exhibits, or art work.

Yes! Visual and performing arts students can participate in the symposium.

The symposium is free of cost.

Most definitely! We would love to see you there. Come and enjoy all of the work that students from across the university will be presenting or simply come to see what all the talk is about. There is so much to see, bring a friend and enjoy!

Yes, all presenters are required to register in advance of the conference. Presenters must register by March 20th.

You will need the following information to register:

• project title
• project abstract, summary, or creative statement (maximum 250 words)
• name(s) and email(s) of any co-presenters/collaborators
• name and email of faculty mentor
• presentation type
• College/department or program for which you will be presenting (may not be the same as your major)
• preferred presentation time (am or pm)
• Class for which you are presenting (if applicable)
• Any funding sources for your project (if applicable)
• any special requirements (i.e., table, electricity, floor space)

Please note: All oral presentations will have access to a projector and computer. Electricity will not be provided for laptops.

Poster and oral presenters are recommended to upload a video of their presentation.

• PDF: How to upload your poster PDF and video

All posters and videos must be uploaded by April 17, 2026, 11:59 pm.

You can make registration changes directly through the registration link. Sign into the account you created during registration and look for the tab labeled “Applications”. You will find your application and you may edit your registration.

If you need to cancel your registration, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity directly at ug-research@nau.edu to inform us of your cancellation.

Your mentor is most likely an expert at preparing abstracts, so it is best to start by reaching out to them for help.  You can also find thousands of project abstract examples online. One recommended site is the NCUR Proceedings  where you can search through a number of undergraduate abstracts that have been accepted for presentation. Our office also has a video on how to create an abstract.

Yes, you can present more than one project. You will need to register separately for each project.

When you register, there is a question on the first page where you will input your faculty mentor’s name and email. Once you’ve completed the application, your faculty mentor will receive a confirmation email that you registered.

Unfortunately, no. Registration is open for six weeks allowing plenty of time to register. If you miss the deadline, you will need to wait until next year to present.

The Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity does not require a final paper submission. Your presentation is your final product. We require presenters to upload a final presentation by April 17, 2026. Poster presenters must upload a PDF of their poster and a five minute video. Oral presenters are recommended to upload a video of their presentation. This material, along with the full abstract and information about the authors, becomes part of the website conference materials.

If you are participating as part of a class requirement, your professor may require a final paper related to your presentation.

Yes, we have templates for poster design and guidelines for oral presentations. You can use these templates to help guide you, but also feel free to get creative with your presentations.

Log in to the portal to check on your assignment.

Every college has their own deadlines for submitting your poster to be printed in time for the Undergraduate Symposium. Check with your faculty mentor or instructor to find out the deadline for your college.

Yes. You are responsible for making and distributing these materials.

You can use whatever format works best for you to present your work.

Given that you registered by the deadline, the final date presenters can edit abstracts, upload  poster presentations, videos, or any other presentation materials to their project titles is Friday April 17, 2026, 11:59 pm. Any changes submitted after that date will not be included in the Symposium Program.

Uploading a presentation in OpenWater

If you are presenting a poster, you are required to upload a PDF of your poster. Once completed, the collection of presentations is published on our website as part of the symposium proceedings and made available to other symposium attendees and viewers of our webpage.

Uploading a presentation in OpenWater

You will need to coordinate with your partner on the preparation for the presentation. We recommend using Google Drive to work on a poster together. For a video pitch or oral presentation, we recommend searching for a free video creation software, such as Powtoon: Video Presentation Builder, which allows you to easily edit presentations and videos.

If you are on campus, you can check out laptops from the Cline Library. If you are not on campus and need a laptop, we suggest asking your local library or check other places in your town.

Hang up times

For those presenting in Session 1, 8:30-10:00 am:

• 8:15 – 8:30 a.m.

For those presenting in Session 2, 10:30 am-12:00 pm:

•  10:15 – 10:30 a.m.

For those presenting in Session 3, 12:30-2:00 pm:

• 12:15 – 12:30 p.m.

For those presenting in Session 4, 2:30-4:00 pm: 

• 2:15 – 2:30 p.m.

If you have a large project that requires more time to set up, please email us at ug-research@nau.edu. We will designate a place and time for you to setup on Friday. For anyone setting up a large project, you will be able to load and unload at the south end of the High Country Conference Center on Friday morning.

Take down times

For those presenting posters, you will take your poster with you when you leave at the end of your session. You are expected to stay until your session ends.

Large exhibits will need also need to be removed at the end of each session.

You will be standing next to your poster during your assigned time. Visitors will be walking around and will stop by to talk with you about your research project. Be prepared to respond to, “Tell me about your project/research.” Keep it short and cover three topics: what you’re researching, your findings, and their significance.

Dress should be professional. Remember that this is a wonderful networking opportunity and take advantage of the time to get to know other people in your field.

All you really need is your poster presentation! We will provide Velcro and a place to hang your poster.

It’s a good idea to bring a water bottle, fliers or handouts for your materials, a backup of your oral presentation, your phone, and wallet.

Yes! The more the merrier. Please invite anyone you feel would like to see what students have been working on throughout the year.

All presenters will have faculty, staff, and/or community reviewers visit you during your presentation time. They will provide constructive feedback via our online system.

The feedback will be available the Monday after the event. Your feedback will be available to you via the online portal that you signed up in.