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Undergraduate Research

The SLCC Honors Program encourages students to engage in undergraduate research because students develop transferable skills that include critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration. Students and faculty work together and build mentorship relationships in order to formulate significant questions, develop investigative procedures, gather and examine evidence, evaluate results, and share conclusions with the community. Undergraduate research also offers students opportunities that include research and travel grants, as well as opportunities for publication and presenting at conferences.

National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) hosts an annual conference that brings together honors students, faculty, and staff from all over the country. SLCC is a member of NCHC and encourages students to participate in these NCHC conferences by submitting an abstract/proposal for one of these two options:

  1. A student poster (can be research or creative work)
  2. Student Interdisciplinary Research Panel – Students will present their research papers by summarizing and discussing their research in 15 minutes.

Learn more information on student proposal conference guidelines. If you would like to submit a proposal to present at the NCHC conference, please send your idea for approval to Kathy Tran-Peters at Kathy.Tran-Peters@slcc.edu or schedule a meeting. Please send in your idea to Kathy as soon as you can in order to finalize your abstract/proposal for submission to the conference. You can submit a proposal on your own, with other students, or with faculty. Submission of your proposal is your acknowledgement that you will attend NCHC if your proposal is accepted. The SLCC Honors Program will help offset student conference costs (registration fees, flights, hotels, etc.) as much as we can.

Salt Lake Community College is a member of the Western Regional Honors Conference (WRHC). WRHC represents honors programs across 13-state Western Regions through an annual conference. The SLCC Honors Program helps to offset student conference costs (registration fees, flights, hotels, etc.) for students who submit an abstract and proposal for a poster or oral presentation session. This is a great opportunity for students to share their research and to also meet other honors students and faculty from the western region.

The Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research (UCUR) is often held at Utah State University and it is a celebration of academic, professional, and personal achievements. Undergraduate students from across Utah and from all disciplines are invited to apply for the conference. Presentation opportunities include poster displays, oral presentations, and creative performances. There will also be a juried art exhibit for creative pieces. Learn more about UCUR.

The Westminster College McNair Scholars Program draws students from three campuses: Westminster College, Salt Lake Community College, and College of Southern Idaho. The program is dedicated to the success of low-income/first-generation college students and students from underrepresented groups who aspire to graduate studies. By encouraging and supporting qualified students through undergraduate school and the transition to graduate school, the ultimate goal is to increase faculty diversity in colleges and universities.

Program benefits include:

How to write an abstract

An abstract provides readers with a quick overview of your research paper or presentation. Learning to write an abstract is an important skill to develop because abstracts are needed when submitting articles to journals, applying for research grants, writing a book proposal, completing a thesis, or writing a proposal to present at a conference or research symposium.

Well-written abstracts have these characteristics:

  • identifies the purpose and intent of the content in a concise, organized, and specific manner
  • captures the attention of the reader
  • adheres to the abstract submission guidelines (i.e. word count, use of abbreviations and acronyms, deadlines, grammar, etc.)
  • describes intended learning outcomes for the audience/reader
  • mentions the benefit and contribution to the field of study

Student Poster Presentation

Unlike formal verbal presentations, poster sessions are more casual as it provides one-on-one interactions between the student researcher and the audience. Students are encouraged to remain at the poster for the entire session and it is a great opportunity for students to engage with the poster reader. Students should introduce themselves, provide the reader with a short, concise explanation of the research, ask them if they have any questions, and ask for feedback on the research.