Hosted by National University of Singapore
30 June – 4 July 2008

National University of Singapore (NUS) is pleased to be hosting the fourth U21 Undergraduate Research Conference (URC), from 30 June to 4 July 2008.

Started in 2005 by University of Virginia, the objective is to let undergraduates have the opportunity to participate in a research conference and present their works to an international audience of fellow students, faculty and mentors from the U21 universities.  There will be social activities and tours throughout the conference to promote networking and stimulate discussion among participants. The aim is that with the diversity of disciplines represented, cross-fertilisation of ideas will take place too. The URC also offers academic staff the opportunity to engage with U21 colleagues, discuss topical issues and develop professional networks.

New Features

Another initiative this year is to introduce a poster session for the Conference.  We are inviting all member universities of U21 to send a maximum of 4 students and a staff to this Conference.  Universities can nominate up to 3 of the representatives to make a 10-minute oral presentation each. The 4th student will be required to participate in the poster session.   

Should a University decide to send 3 or fewer students to the Conference, all 3 students may opt to make oral presentations OR 2 students may conduct the 10-minute oral presentation, whilst the 3rd student participates in the poster session.  The decision lies with each nominating university. 

Please refer to the diagram below for some examples of possible presentation combinations: 

Important things to note

1. Nominations & abstracts to reach us by 5 May 2008 via the online registration 
   Abstracts -  
   • Must be 150 – 200 words in length
   • Title of paper in capital letters
   • Author’s name in the following format : First name, middle initial and last name (in caps)
   • Name of research supervisor in parenthesis
     
     
2. Presentations – 10 minutes with 5 minutes for Q&A. 
   • To be submitted by 25 June 2008. Instructions will be given to the participants directly.      
   • All presentations must be prepared in MS Powerpoint.
   • To use Microsoft Office Powerpoint 2003.
   • Macintosh users, please check to see that your presentations work on PCs.
   • Please ensure you have multiple copies of your presentation. 
     
     
3. Poster Session –  *Important: Participants are responsible for printing and bringing their own posters.
   • Objective: Posters should be designed to showcase in a visual format research projects carried out by participants. The poster should be explained in a clear and organised manner, with a focus on the key points.
     
     
   • Format: Posters should include the following components: title, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments, and literature cited.  The use of figures and tables, to present data visually instead of including large quantities of text, is recommended. Participants are also encouraged to elaborate on their poster to conference delegates.
     
     
   • Size:  Two A2 (420mm × 594mm) posters OR One A1 (594mm × 841mm) poster  We will provide each student a panel that is approximately 2.4m (h) x 1m (w).    
     
     
   • Submission: Please upload soft copy by 25 June 2008, as a safeguard. Instructions will be given to the participants directly.

For additional information, please contact:
Ms Susan Tan
International Relations Office
National University of Singapore
Block E3A, Level 1
7 Engineering Drive 1
Singapore 117574

Tel: +65 6516 2429
Fax: +65 6778 0177
irottts@nus.edu.sg