UWG Scholars’ Day

The Honors College and the Office of Undergraduate Research are sponsoring a new approach to recognizing and celebrating all the wonderful academic work UWG students are doing. Join us for this exciting event on April 4, 2017. Classes will be canceled from 1:00 – 4:00 pm for the Undergraduate Research Conference with Honors Convocation to follow at 5:30 pm. Come see UWG’s students present their research and celebrate their accomplishments! See the details below:

UWG Undergraduate Research Conference

UWG’s Undergraduate Research Conference is to be held on April 4, 2017. Classes that day will be canceled from 1:00-4:00pm to allow as many students as possible to participate in this great opportunity. We have revised the University’s Research Day/Big Night event in order to be more inclusive, to break down barriers between colleges, and to encourage students and faculty to engage in this non-competitive celebration of scholarship.

WHO: ANY undergraduate at the University of West Georgia regardless of major.

WHAT: We invite research or creative works presentations in the following formats:

• Oral Presentation (can include panel presentation)
• Poster Presentation (for research or creative works)
• Visual Arts Presentation (for sculpture, painting, photography, etc.)
• Performance Presentation (for drama, music, theater, creative writing, etc.)

WHERE: Conference will take place in Campus Center Ballrooms and Atrium with paper and panel presentations in Pafford.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED: Interested students should click here to submit an abstract of 200 words.  For submission details and a description of the presentation formats, read the presentation information below.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 8, 2017

Accepted presentations will be notified in early March.

• Presentation Information

  Oral Presentation

  Oral presentations are 15 minutes in length with five additional minutes allotted to each presenter for questions. Paper submissions may focus on any academic discipline and will be reviewed and grouped into interdisciplinary panels of 3-4 papers by a selection committee. Oral presentations will be held in Pafford. Each presentation room will have a computer, projector, and projection screen.

  Students proposing an oral presentation should submit a well-written 200 word abstract that summarizes the student’s research, including outcomes. In addition, abstracts should clearly state the significance of the project in terms that can be understood by a general scholarly audience and clearly convey the student’s original analytical, critical, or creative contribution to his or her discipline. Click here to submit abstract.

  Panel Presentation

  Students may submit a proposal for a panel of three papers that can either be within one discipline or interdisciplinary. Each student on the panel will have 15 minutes to present their paper with an additional 5 minutes allotted to each presenter for questions. Panel presentations will take place in Pafford.
  Students proposing a panel should each independently submit a 200 word abstract. The abstract submission will require students to list the other presenters' names and emails and the three abstracts will be grouped together into one panel presentation. Click here to submit abstract.

  Poster Presentation

  Students may present original research or creative works in the poster session that will take place in the Campus Center Ballrooms and Atrium. Research must be presented in the form of a standard poster. Students and their faculty advisors should carefully review the poster guidelines information below for information about poster design.

  Students wishing to participate in the Poster Sessions submit a well-written 200 word abstract that summarizes the student’s research, including outcomes. In addition, abstracts should clearly state the significance of the project in terms that can be understood by a general scholarly audience and clearly convey the student’s original analytical, critical, or creative contribution to his or her discipline. Click here to submit abstract.

  Visual Arts Presentation

  Visual arts presentations will take place in the Campus Center Ballrooms and Atrium.  Students wishing to participate in a visual arts presentation should submit a well-written 200 word abstract that summarizes the student’s artistic work.  In addition, abstracts should clearly state the significance of the project in terms that can be understood by a general scholarly audience and clearly convey the student’s creative contribution to his or her discipline. Click here to submit abstract.

  Performing Arts Presentation

  Performance presentations give students opportunities to present their performance based projects in a 15 minute format on stage in the Campus Center Ballroom.

  Students proposing a performance presentation should submit a 200 word abstract describing the performance and its significance. Students should convey their original, critical and creative contribution to the discipline. Click here to submit abstract.

  The following equipment for performance presentations will be available upon request:

  • Wireless microphones
  • Internal sound system
  • Computer, projector, and projection screen
  • Other equipment or special needs may be available upon request
• Poster Guidelines
  1. Posters should be electronically generated and printed by UWG Publications and Printing.
  2. The recommended maximum size for posters is 36x 48. Poster board backing will be provided that also adjusts to a 24 X 36 format if you prefer to have your poster printed in this size.
  3. Your poster should be constructed so that it presents the desired information in a self-explanatory manner. It's telling a story. See the 3 X 3 rule: “The ‘3-3 Rule’ generally states that the poster can be understood by a viewer from 3 feet away in 3 minutes. This rule was conceived to encourage presenters to convey their information clearly to the public. It is not meant to trivialize presentations into just pretty formats without serious content. Rather, the objective is to structure the presentation of data and information in a simple, understandable format – a story without large blocks of text. The intent is for the presenter to think like the viewer—is the story clearly presented with only its essential elements? The ‘Viewer’ includes not only fellow researchers in your field, but also the entire university audience and ultimately the general public. Streamlining makes the storyline easy to understand. This understanding facilitates interaction. However, the research must still be sound, e.g., conclusions clearly stated and supported by results.”
  4. Keep your poster simple and brief. A poster is not a place for you to tack up your entire body of research for people to read. Instead, think of a poster as a series of highly efficient, organized panels (a storyboard) upon which appear synopses of the relevant information you want to convey just enough to get your point across.
  5. Organize your poster materials using headings, such as Introduction, The Research Question, The Methodology, and Findings, Conclusion.... These headings will help establish a logical flow to your poster.
  6. Use large enough fonts so people will not have to squint to read the material. For headings, use at least a 48-point font. For text, use nothing less than 18-point (Larger is preferable).
  7. Make your poster visually appealing. Have fun. Be creative. Incorporate color. Use photographs, graphs, charts, maps, and the like. Simplify charts and figures to include only relevant information. Be attentive to the layout and placement of your materials.
  8. Place the title of your work in a prominent position on your poster. Include your name and your faculty sponsor. Add other acknowledgements at the bottom of the poster.
  9. Take great care to plan and organize it well. Make sure it communicates the intended information in an interesting, visual manner. Ask your faculty mentor to proof your work.
  10. See poster examples from the NCHC Conference linked below: 

  Sample 1

  Sample 2

• Program

  The program will be provided at a later date.

Honors Convocation

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017, the University of West Georgia will hold its annual Honors Convocation at 5:30 PM at the Townsend Center for Performing Arts. This convocation honors students who have demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement.

For over five decades, West Georgia has recognized the achievements of its superior students at Honors Convocation. Students are selected for awards by the faculty in their disciplines. Each student has at least a 3.2 overall GPA, but that also fill disciplinary requirements. These are the best and brightest UWG students who are being honored by their faculty.