2023 Student Symposium

The 26th annual Student Research and Community Engagement Symposium will be held as a multi-staged competition with the final round and awards ceremony at University Crossing on Monday, April 24, 2023!

Open to all UMass Lowell undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, this university-wide event is an opportunity for students to share their research, service learning projects, study abroad experiences, creative works and other academic endeavors with fellow students, faculty, deans and department chairs and the extended UMass Lowell community. Students may enter the competition as a team or as individuals.

Round 1

April 5: Students entering the competition will submit a video of no more than 3 minutes describing their projects. These videos will be available for public viewing and voting starting April 5 to the day of the Symposium on April 24. A team designated by each college dean will select a certain number of finalists proportional to the number of submissions from their college to continue to the next round. Students may elect to participate only in Round 1; they will be considered for the Fan Favorite category.

Round 2

April 24: Finalists selected to proceed to Round 2 will participate in an in-person Question and Answer (Q&A) session with a panel of 3-5 judges. The judges will ask probing questions to learn more about the finalists’ projects and their challenges, solutions, impact, etc. Judges may also ask clarifying questions to responses.

Awards Ceremony/Winners

April 24: The competition will culminate in an awards ceremony for friends, family and community members to enjoy. All competition winners will be announced at the ceremony.

The number of winners from each college will be proportional to the number of submissions. Each college will award at least one undergraduate and one graduate student or team as winners. Individual submission winners will each receive $300. Team submission winners will each receive $600 to be split amongst the team.

In addition, each college will recognize at least one “Fan Favorite” winner based on the number of likes on YouTube and input from judges. Fan Favorite winners will receive $150 as both individuals and teams.

How to Participate

1. Submit Your Abstract

Students who wish to participate in the Student Symposium must submit an abstract (up to 250 words) using the online submission portal by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 20, 2023. Abstracts must be approved by project advisors. Please submit your abstract as soon as possible (the sooner you submit your abstract, the more time you may have to create your video). Though you need abstract approval before submitting a video, it may be prudent to begin working on your video while your advisor reviews your abstract.

Read more about the abstract submission process.

2. Submit Your Video

Videos may not exceed 3 minutes. We encourage students to be creative with their videos (i.e. using different formats such as multiple slides, demos, interviews, animations, etc.) as long as they demonstrate their projects effectively. Once your abstract is approved, you will receive the link to submit your video.

Read more about video submission, resources and tips.

3. Prepare for Your Q&A

Finalists selected to proceed to Round 2 will be asked to participate in an in-person Question and Answer (Q&A) session with a panel of judges. Be sure to review your work and come prepared to further explain your project and answer clarifying questions.

Read more about the Q&A sessions.