Undergraduate Research Conference

Active Regent University sophomore, junior, and senior students, who have a GPA in good standing (2.0 GPA or higher).

You will need to choose your presentation type and subject, as well as submit your title and abstract when applying. 

• Abstracts must be between 150 – 250 words.
• Your abstract should include (1) a brief introduction with thesis or hypothesis, (2) a few sentences discussing the main ideas or main points that support the thesis, and finally, (3) a brief conclusion with implications.
• The University of Michigan defines an abstract as “a short summary of your…research. It is intended to describe your work without going into great detail. Abstracts should be self-contained and concise, explaining your work as briefly and clearly as possible” (Sweetland Center for Writing Website, 2023).
• Abstracts will vary by discipline. For example, if you are presenting an English paper, a short paragraph about what the paper is about will suffice. If you plan on presenting a poster of your research, summarize your findings or your process.
• Please note: Your abstract will be published in the event program.

Looking for abstract examples? Check these abstracts out from students at Michigan State University. See more sample abstracts.

Memoirs of Genocide: From Poland to Sudan

Jasmine Angelini-Knoll
Under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Waltzer, Jewish Studies Program

For this project, related to my research assistance for Dr. Kenneth Waltzer in his work on “The Rescue of Children and Youth in Buchenwald,” I will look at several different memoirs rooted in experiences of mass violence undergone by children and youth. I want to draw parallels between memoirs of youthful survivors who lived through the Nazi Holocaust in Europe, and the “Lost Boys,” who survived recent violent conflict in Sudan. My sample of memoirs includes works in French by Polish Jewish boys who survived the Holocaust in ghettos and work camps, finally winding up in Buchenwald. The Sudanese memoirs trace the paths of boys as they fled from destroyed homes to refugee camps. They are written in English, often involving the collaboration of American authors. Besides engaging each story individually, the exploration of these works urges broader questions about memory of horrific violence. How is memory presented and organized in memoir? What is emphasized and why? What are the motivations for speaking as witnesses of horror and survivors of violence? What are the implications of personal memoir for the larger task of preventing violence and genocide? These stories are diverse—they take place in worlds and times apart, they involve different actors and contexts. Yet they are also connected, involving experiences by youth of mass violence, survival, and finally efforts to represent memory years later as warning, as remembrance, and as an effort to help others understand.

Individual Differences in Memory in Relation to Emotional Stimuli

Katherine Morabito
Under the direction of Dr. Christine Larson, Psychology

Although research has been done showing that dysphoria correlates with an increased amount of mood congruent false memories in both dysphoric participants and negative mood induced participants, no research prior to this study has examined how inducing a negative mood in dysphoric participants affects mood congruent false memories. One hundred undergraduate participants viewed lists of depression-relevant, neutral and positive words that they were asked to recognize later among lure words. Participants were grouped as dysphoric, mid-dysphoric, or non-dysphoric as determined by BDI-II scores. This study hypothesized that dysphoric participants induced into a negative mood would have a greater number of mood congruent false memories than all of the other groups. A 2 x2 x3 x 3 – way mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Mood Induction (positive, negative), Gender (male, female), and Group (dysphoric, mid-dysphoric, non-dysphoric control participants) as between-subject variables and Word Type (depression-relevant, neutral, positive) as a within-subject variable and correlation analyses were used to examine the depression relevant false memory results. Correlation analyses revealed that dysphoria is related to an increased amount of mood congruent false memories (r = .22; p< .04). The results of this study add to previous research in the field of depression and memory on a small scale. Further research in the area is needed for a more complete understanding of how memory functions in dysphoric individuals, and may be used to augment or create treatment techniques.

Sensitivity Analysis of DSC Measurements of Denaturation of a Protein Mixture

Matt Ryerkerk
Under the direction of Dr. Neil Wright, Mechanical Engineering

Quantifying the kinetics of denaturation of heated proteins can lead to insight into protein folding, for example. Differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) measures changes in enthalpy of a specimen as its temperature is changed. DSC is a popular method to study the kinetics of polymers and biological materials. Increasingly, researchers are using DSC to measure changes in the enthalpy of mixtures of proteins and in cells. The confidence region of the parameters reported in these studies maybe unclear, because numerous parameters are being estimated using a single enthalpy trace. The present study examines using DSC to denature rattail tendon, which is predominantly Type I collagen. Analyzing the resulting data provides values for the kinetic parameters, in particular those describing a first-order Arrhenius model, governing the reaction. Several different methods for determining the parameters have been presented in past studies. In this study, the sensitivity of the parameters to the variables of the reaction, including the method to determine the parameters, is investigated. The results can be used to as a starting point to study the reliability of parameters for DSC experiments involving the denaturation of multiple proteins.

Your submission will be reviewed by faculty, and you should receive a response within 10 business days of your submission.

If your application is APPROVED, you will be assigned to a faculty mentor within 5 business days. You can begin preparations for your oral or poster presentation. We recommend attending one of the Presenter Workshops we have scheduled (see Key dates on landing page). Poster presenters, you may pick up your poster at either of the Presenter Workshops, or email urc@regent.edu to schedule a separate time for pick up.

If your application is DECLINED, you will be given feedback on how to improve for future submissions. If you wish to implement the feedback immediately and re-apply for this year’s URC, you may do so by submitting a new application form before the application deadline.

1. 15-minute oral presentation
2. Your presentation will be followed by a short question and answer period with the audience.
3. Visual aids (e.g. an electronic slideshow) are strongly encouraged but not required.
4. These talks should explore the original ideas of the presenter and may be based upon any academic work, ranging from a summative class project, written class research or essay, to an independent research project. For example, a senior capstone or seminar project topic would be acceptable.

The College Of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office will supply a Foam Poster Board to Poster Presenters. If your application to participate as a Poster Presenter is approved, please email urc@regent.edu to coordinate a time for poster pick up.

Poster Type & Size:

1. Size: 36 inches by 48 inches
2. Material: hard foam poster only.
   1. If you need a poster, one will be supplied to you.
3. Color: White

Poster Content

1. Title
2. Your name
3. Abstract, outlining the goals of your research
4. The following details will be dependent upon the type of research you are presenting (from empirical to normative). Please consult your faculty advisor.
   1. A description of the methods used in the research
   1. The results of your research
   1. A discussion on the research results
   1. Conclusions drawn from your research
   1. A bibliography of your works cited on the poster
   1. Potentially, future directions for related research
5. Poster content should be typed, printed, and pasted neatly to the poster. Please do not use handwritten content or hand drawn images.
6. Avoid cluttering your poster with too much text. Use phrases and bullet points rather than entire sentences and paragraphs when possible.
7. As with oral presentations, posters may be based upon any academic work, ranging from a summative class project, a written class research or essay, to an independent research project to an independent research project. For example, a senior capstone or seminar project topic would be acceptable.

Poster Format

1. Font size: Between 12 – 20-point font for the main content, and no larger than 40-point font for the headings.
2. Keep a 1-inch margin around the content of the poster
3. Place the title prominently at the top in at least 48 sized font.
4. Please be prepared to explain the poster’s contents in a group poster session setting.

Presenter details will be posted in the weeks preceding the Undergraduate Research Conference. Check again at the end of March. We look forward to seeing you at the Undergraduate Research Conference on April 10, 2026!

Guest speaker details will be posted soon. We look forward to seeing you at the Undergraduate Research Conference on April 10, 2026!

A list of our participating organizations will be posted in the weeks preceding the Undergraduate Research Conference. Check again in March. We look forward to seeing you at the Undergraduate Research Conference on April 10, 2026!

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