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�������޹�����Ʒ will be one of three hosts for this year’s (SNCURCS), alongside Catawba College and Livingstone College. Since 2005, the yearly event has served as a platform for undergraduate students in all public and private institutions in the state to present their abstracts based on original research and creative projects.

“We have our SURF (Spring Undergraduate Research Forum) Day on campus, and then this would be bigger and broader than SURF, so it gives students a chance to present to a much bigger audience,” said Meredith Allison, professor of psychology and director of Elon’s Undergraduate Research program.

Elon, along with Catawba and Livingstone College, will co-host the live virtual event on Saturday, Nov. 13, with a preview day on Friday, Nov. 12. Hundreds of students across North Carolina will have the opportunity to give poster and oral presentations of their research or creative work. Submission for the event began Sept. 13 and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 15.

The application process is just beginning, and Catawba College is taking in the submissions.

Sophomores in North Carolina are eligible for the Barthalmus Research Grant of up to $500 to support ongoing undergraduate research.

East Carolina University and Elizabeth City State University hosted the first virtual event in the SNCURCS’ history in 2020. Allison said that Elon has had meetings with both institutions on how to best run the event from a virtual perspective.

“I think it’s a neat opportunity to collaborate with other colleges which we wouldn’t have had an opportunity to do before,” Allison said. �������޹�����Ʒ recently ranked 13th in undergraduate research/creative projects.

“I think Elon hosting the SNCURCS affirms its recognition within the state,” Allison said.

The symposium will create the opportunity for Elon students to get a glimpse of other research happening across the state and maybe given them inspiration for their projects. The majority of the presenters will be seniors and this event will be a chance for them to prepare for presenting research in a professional setting.

The presentation will be virtual for a second consecutive year, the only two times the event has been held virtually. For Allison, having a virtual event opens the doors to having more people participate and more ideas shared.

“The problem with in-person is if you hold it in the mountains, it’s expensive for people on the coast to go. If you hold it at the coast, people at the mountains can’t afford to go,” Allison said. “So, we’re taking advantage with a virtual format.”

The event is a partnership between public and private institutions, with the role of hosting alternating each year between a public university and a private university. This is the second time Elon has hosted the symposium with the first being in 2007, alongside UNC Greensboro.