On April 15, ETSU’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, Vice Provost for Research and Office of Community Engagement will be hosting Dr. Jay W. Boland Research Day, dedicated to the memory of former faculty member Jay W. Boland.
Applications are now open for students to submit their proposals for the event. Proposals for research presentations and creative displays must be submitted by Feb. 21. Proposals for the community engagement showcase must be submitted by March 20.
“Dr. Jay W. Boland Research Day started as an undergraduate research conference,” said Christopher Keller, dean of the Honors College and senior international officer. “It’s open to any student who’s working on a research project, whether it’s tied directly to a class or not, and it gives them an opportunity to present that research to a group of their peers, faculty and staff and, in some cases, community members.”
Students can submit to the following categories: oral presentation, poster presentation, creative display and community engagement showcase. For students in the Undergraduate Research Honors Program, there is an extra category offered: research-in-progress talk.
Dr. Jay W. Boland Research Day offers an opportunity for students to share their research or creative project, gain experience in discussing it and receive feedback for going forward. There will be a panel of judges composed of faculty members who will give recommendations and select award winners.
“For many people, it’s probably going to feel a little bit uncomfortable, but this symposium is certainly a no-judgment zone. It’s a great first step into talking about research,” Keller said. “Undergraduate research is becoming increasingly commonplace for a lot of professions, jobs and graduate programs. Having an undergraduate research project is just a natural step to those next big things.”
Specific guidelines for the written proposal, more information about applying and the submission portal can be found at https://www.etsu.edu/boland/.
Students interested in learning more about similar opportunities can explore ETSU’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities at https://www.etsu.edu/honors/ug_research/.