Now in its ninth year, the TRU Undergraduate Student Research & Innovation Conference is a place where students from any program can share their work with the rest of campus. The department-specific TRU Philosophy, History & Politics Undergraduate Conference just held its seventh annual event. For students, these conferences present opportunities to be at the front of the classroom, in the role of lecturer; students also present posters, organize volunteers and support one another in a culture that celebrates undergraduate research achievements. For faculty, preparing students for conferences provides opportunities for engagement outside the boundaries of classroom spaces, and moderating sessions in potentially unfamiliar disciplines creates a place of discovery for everyone involved.
Presenters will describe how our local conferences have developed, including how various stakeholders were brought on board, the ongoing attempts to provide workshops to help students prepare and how digital elements, such as the online archiving of student posters and the introduction of an accompanying video contest, might increase the conference’s reach and audience.
Participants will understand the opportunities and challenges involved in organizing a multi-discipline undergraduate conference, and recognize how differing disciplinary perspectives on research both enhance and complicate these events. Participants will be encouraged to relate their own experiences with providing undergraduate students places for sharing their work. This session will be of interest to post-secondary educators, as well as to high school teachers interested in finding out more about the research opportunities available to students once they reach university.
Of Interest to: Post-secondary education, K-12 educators
