Application Guidelines

Application Guidelines

Application Deadline

Applications to present at SURCA 2023 are due by 11:59 p.m. PST on the deadline date of Feb. 21, 2023.

Prepare to successfully meet this deadline by carefully reviewing the SURCA website before opening the online application (abstract submission). Please remember that the application will require you to submit an abstract that must summarize your work according to the conventions of your field.

Filling Out the Application

We have designed the the online application so that explanations and tips are provided as you fill in each field. Information below should assist you with some of the more complicated or nuanced sections in the application.

• Undergraduate  joint presenters: In some instances, undergraduate students conduct research with another undergraduate (or more) such that they equally share the work on a project. To apply to SURCA to present one poster together with a  joint presenter(s), you must both (1) submit individual applications and (2) both must list each other as a joint presenter; if there are multiple joint presenters, each individual must apply separately, use the same abstract, and list all partnering joint presenters. If you win an award as joint presenters, you will share a single monetary award.
• Co-Authors: You should list (in order of their degree of involvement in your work) all people (called “co-authors”) who contributed to your project, such as those who reviewed your data, helped you with research procedures, etc. The list can include your mentor, but do not include your own name.
• Mentor(s): This is the person(s) who mentors you in the research, scholarship, or creative activities about which you will present at SURCA. A mentor is often a co-author on your work, but does not need to be. Your project mentor may be an individual from off campus or a faculty member. The individual(s) who are your mentors for your project should be listed here.
• Campus: Students who are not physically located on the Pullman campus and are unable to present their project in Pullman may do so virtually. Students presenting virtually are still judged and are still expected to answer the judges’ questions.
• How many semesters: Please indicate how many semesters you have been involved in undergraduate research. Please include all of your research experiences, not just those semesters spent on this specific project. Include all mentored work in a research lab or on a research internship, or all mentored scholarly or creative activity experiences (such as work composing music or writing a book).
• How many summers: Please indicate how many summers you have been involved in undergraduate research. Please include all of your summer research experiences, not just the summers spent on this specific project. Include all mentored work in a research lab or on a research internship, or all mentored scholarly or creative activity experiences (such as work composing music or writing a book).
• Category: Descriptions of the categories can be found on our SURCA participation categories page. Please read the descriptions and discuss with your advisor prior to making a selection. The category you select is very important as this is the category that you will be competing in for awards. Your major, or the department you are doing the project in, does not dictate the category. The category should be selected based on the project that you are doing. For example, a biologist who is developing a math model for the spread of hantavirus infections might find their project works best in the computer science and math category. Students who are developing a more insect resistant strain of wheat or an antibiotic might find the applied sciences category is most applicable. Students selecting the “Research Proposal” category will need to also select a subcategory from one of the other existing categories. This is so judges with appropriate expertise can be assigned to judge your presentation in the Research Proposal category.
• Abstracts: Abstracts are entered directly into the application form, which has the ability to accept formatting and special characters in the abstract field. Please see below for tips on writing the abstract.