Students are being sought for the annual Team Research Concept Competition at the 2024 Undergraduate Research Opportunity Conference at The University of New Mexico on April 12. Student colleagues will develop research concepts to share during the conference.
The winning team will receive $2,000 split among all team members. Application forms are due March 1.
Research collaboration
Team research involves collaboration among multiple researchers focused on achieving the same goal. Teams of undergraduate students will pitch interdisciplinary problems they are interested in. Each team may include as many UNM undergraduate students as desired, as long as at least two academic majors are represented. Teams are limited to students in baccalaureate (four-year) degree programs only.
Goals
Example goals include the design of a new technology, the creation of a new process, or the answering of an important question. Research exists in all academic areas at UNM, including fine art, health sciences, chemistry, engineering, and architecture, to name a few.
To apply
To apply, the leader of each team should complete the application form by March 1 at 5 p.m. The form asks the team to describe research goals and a summary of the challenges associated with the research goal.
Judging and presentation
UNM judges will select six undergraduate teams to advance to the finalist stage. Teams will be contacted on March 7 to prepare them for the next stage.
For the finalist stage, each finalist team will develop a 5-minute presentation describing research goals; a summary of the challenges associated with the research goal: a description of the processes they would use to achieve their research goal: and a summary of how each team member would contribute to the processes. The research concept competition is intended to help teams conceptualize and design their research, and teams aren’t required to implement it.
At the April 12 conference, each finalist team will present their 5-minute pitch in-person at UROC, followed by five minutes of questions and answers. Judges will include UNM faculty, staff, and graduate students.
Contest judges will select the pitch that best shows the team has a solid understanding of the challenges associated with addressing their research goal; the team’s processes for achieving the goal are likely to produce significant progress; the team’s approach involves contributions from multiple academic disciplines; and the team’s approach is comprehensive and/or innovative.
The winning team will be announced during the UROC Awards Ceremony, as well as notified through email and posted on the UNM URAD website. The winning team will receive a $2,000 bursar credit, split evenly among all team members who present.
All UROC student presentations
All students who intend to present research at the UROC should submit an Intend to Present form by Friday, Feb. 16. Presentations include in-person 10-minute oral presentations; in-person poster presentations; in-person 3-minute UROC 180 presentations: web page, essay, or video research story; and interdisciplinary team competition.
For more information, contact URAD director Tim Schroeder at timschroeder@unm.edu.
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