Undergraduate Student Symposium

Submitted projects will undergo a competitive selection process for inclusion in the symposium. You may be a part of more than one project but can only submit one project as the project leader. The only instance you may be a project leader for two projects is if you're submitting a research reel. If multiple projects are accepted, you must present both.

Film festival applicants should contact the festival organizers by email: Marlisa Santos, Ph.D., at santosm@nova.edu, or Weylin Sternglanz, Ph.D., at sterngla@nova.edu.

To participate, you must: 

1. Create a project and secure a faculty sponsor.
2. Complete CITI Training for any research involving human subjects (see details below).
3. Complete and submit the online USS Application.
4. Upload a correctly formatted abstract (Doc) at the time of application. Faculty sponsors must review and approve the abstract before submission. Any updates to your abstract after submitting your application must be sent to uss@nova.edu by March 3, 2025.
5. Upload any necessary CITI documentation at the time of application for all student participants and faculty sponsors.
6. Check the box at the bottom of the application to receive an email copy of your application. Please verify all information is correct. If you do not receive a separate email confirmation or need to edit your application, contact the USS (uss@nova.edu) immediately.
7. Receive notification of your project's acceptance into the symposium. We'll notify you via email regarding the acceptance status of your project. This email will provide additional information and instructions.
8. Attend supplemental workshops to help prepare your presentation or short film. 

If participating in the USS Film Festival as a filmmaker, you're responsible for all legal matters related to your film, including getting actors and crew members to sign the appropriate release forms.

Abstract

• Template (Doc)
• Past Abstracts

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Poster Presentation

• Guidelines (PDF)
• Poster Template (PPT)
• Sample Poster (PDF)
• Sample Poster Text (PDF)

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Oral Presentation

• Guidelines (PDF)
• Sample Presentation (PDF)

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Film Festival

• Guidelines (PDF)
• Past Films

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Multimedia Presentation

• Guidelines (PDF)

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Research Reel

• Guidelines (PDF)

The USS welcomes projects from all disciplines. Explore the types of projects we have included from various disciplines in the past. To view all past USS projects, check out our symposium archive. 

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Business and Education

• “Effects of Role Models and Financing Barriers on Women Entrepreneurship” | Tiana Henry

• “How Non-profit Organizations Can Create a Hybrid Social Media Strategy Using Paid and Organic Posts” | Samantha Carl Selorio

• "A Meta-Analytic Review: The Implications of Virtual Reality with Immersion on Secondary Language Acquisition" | Dylan A. Darling and Greter Camacho Melian

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Humanities

• “Life in Verse: Historical Figures Reimagined” | Qaas Shoukat

• “The ‘Triangle’ Formula: A Role and Play Option Analysis of the Triple-Post Offense” | Tiffany Kelly

• “Viral Videos: Random Phenomena or Reproducible Templates?”

• “Understanding the Mysteries of African Ancestry Along My Maternal Lineage” | Natalie Negron

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Social Sciences

• “Fashion Law: A Comparative Study of U.S. and European Models” | Francesca Chavez

• “Advocating for Period Dignity: A Survey of Menstruation’s Impact on Class Attendance Among Women at Nova Southeastern University” | Lauren Guedj, Tanha Rahman, Sofia Garcia Austt, and Jessie Mandy

• “Does Canine Interaction Impact a College Student’s Stress and Anxiety Levels During Exam Time?” | Caitlin McCoy

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STEM

• “A Study of Pediatric Oral Health in Ahwa, Gujarat, India” | Elizabeth Barley

• “Assessing Migration Ability and Behavior of Small Fish in the Everglades” | Chelsea Jeffers, Emily Harrington, Michelle LaMartina, Domenique Olesen, Deoraj Ramsaran, Rachel Tonia

• “A Mathematical and Ergonomic Analysis of Fundamental Laparoscopic Surgery Tools and Techniques” | Joshua Bennett, Paula Veras, Anneleissa Lugay, and Daniel Celestino

• “A novel TCR clustering method for SARS-COV-2 epitopes” | Naziba Nuha

For research projects involving human subjects, researchers and the faculty sponsor must complete CITI training before submitting a project for Institutional Review Board approval. This training is also required for projects that seek IRB exemption. The training is offered online on the CITI training website. Investigators must register before completing the training modules. Please complete the online form (PDF) with your faculty sponsor.

Investigators conducting research in science/biomedical areas must complete (at a minimum) the following modules:

• History and Ethical Principles

• Basic Institutional Review Board

• Informed Consent

• Records-Based Research

• Genetic Research

• Vulnerable Populations: An Overview

• Hot Topics

Investigators conducting research in social/behavioral sciences or humanities must complete (at a minimum) the following modules:

• History and Ethical Principles

• Defining Research with Human Subjects

• The Regulations and the Social and Behavioral Sciences

• Assessing Risk in Social and Behavioral Sciences

• Informed Consent

• Privacy and Confidentiality

• Research with Children

• Research in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools

As appropriate, additional training modules may be required depending on the specific research.

Along with the commemorative pin and certificate awarded to all participants, outstanding projects in each category receive additional prizes. Winners are announced at the USS Awards Ceremony.

Poster and Oral Presentation Judging 

The judges use the criteria below to select the poster and oral presentation winners during the symposium, not to determine which projects are accepted. As you plan your poster or oral presentation, be sure to address each of these aspects:

• Significance and appropriateness of the research question or creative objective

• Quality of the argument/research

• Soundness of conclusions

• Creativity and originality

• Clarity of presentation

Film Festival Judging

Judging will take place before the film screenings at the USS. Participating judges include NSU faculty and industry and community professionals. During the USS, the top twenty films are showcased as part of the NSU Film Festival.