I don’t work at WSU, but can I judge at SURCA?
Yes! We welcome anyone with expertise and work experience from industry, government, other universities, non-profit organizations, and other entities outside of WSU.
I don’t work at WSU; where can I park when I’m judging for SURCA?
Parking will be available in the Smith Center for Undergraduate Education (CUE) parking garage, located a short distance from the CUB where SURCA is held. A campus map shows the entrance to the Smith CUE parking garage. Please notify the Office of Undergraduate Research if you will need parking so we can make sure you will not be charged for parking during SURCA.
I am traveling to Pullman and will need to stay overnight. Where should I go for lodging?
There are many hotels in the area and some provide complimentary transportation to and from campus. If you need to locate lodging, we encourage you to plan ahead and reserve a room early. Please feel free to contact the Office of Undergraduate Research if you require assistance.
One of the students I mentor will be presenting at SURCA. Can I still serve as a judge?
Absolutely. We will make sure that you are not assigned to your student’s presentation for judging to avoid any conflicts of interest. There is a place on the online application to judge at SURCA where you can list any undergraduate students who you are mentoring currently.
I am a graduate student. Can I judge at SURCA?
We allow post-candidacy doctoral students to judge. Graduate students who are not post-candidacy doctoral students are not allowed to judge. However, we always need helpers during SURCA and we would appreciate your help in areas other than judging. If you are interesting in helping, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research.
I’d like to judge at SURCA. How much time does it typically require?
The poster pre-judging time (when students are not present) takes 45 minutes, allowing you to assess the quality of the poster itself. The presentation judging time which follows lasts for 1 hour, leading to a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes required to judge at SURCA. Based on years of experience working with our judges, we expect you will be busy during that entire block of time. During the presentation judging phase in particular, we estimate that judges typically take between 15-30 minutes per poster plus time to post scoring, depending on the level of expertise with the particular subject area. Judges are usually assigned 2-4 posters, so you might need to keep an eye on the clock as you evaluate students’ presentations.