NSU’s Undergraduate Student Symposium (USS), hosted by the Farquhar Honors College, showcases the outstanding scholarship and creativity of NSU undergraduate students in all disciplines. Since 2002, this annual event has encouraged students to explore their passions and share their discoveries through poster displays, oral presentations, and short films. Starting in 2024, the USS will feature two new categories—multimedia presentations and research reels—and an expanded oral presentation category.
Many projects featured at the symposium lead to further research, publication, or presentation at national conferences and film festivals. We encourage NSU undergraduate students of all disciplines to participate and attend.
Important Dates
The 22nd Annual USS begins on Tuesday, April 2, and ends on Thursday, April 4, 2024.
Display your scholarship via posterboard.
Present your work as a traditional paper oral presentation or TED-style talk.
Screen your 4-15 minute narrative, documentary, or avant-garde short film.
You can easily convert existing projects into one of these categories to present, including our expanded oral presentation category and newly added multimedia presentation and research reel categories. We'll provide workshops to help you create your presentations. Examples of projects you may convert include:
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:
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.
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.
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 with your faculty sponsor.
Investigators conducting research in science/biomedical areas must complete (at a minimum) the following modules:
Investigators conducting research in social/behavioral sciences or humanities must complete (at a minimum) the following modules:
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.
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:
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.
Each year, NSU's American Association of University Women (AAUW) chapter awards one project that best supports the organization's mission of "advancing gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy." All projects focusing on women's issues are considered.
For questions about the USS, contact USS@nova.edu, or call (954) 262-8408.
For questions about the Film Festival, contact Marlisa Santos, Ph.D., at santosm@nova.edu, or Weylin Sternglanz, Ph.D., at sterngla@nova.edu.