Penn State Eastern Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Tenth Annual Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 23, 2020. 

Students from the eight eastern Penn State campuses will showcase posters and exhibits of their scholarly research at the tenth annual Penn State Eastern Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Gallagher Conference Center, Penn State Scranton. Penn State students will be selected by their host campuses to participate.

Students from area colleges and universities are also invited to participate in this regional research symposium. 

Each campus/college can submit up to 8 projects. 

The symposium is separated into four categories, and each campus can either submit up to two projects per category or, if lacking in one or more categories, can submit up to three projects per category (maximum of 8 projects).

The project categories are:

• Arts and Humanities
• Biological Sciences and Health
• Physical Sciences, Information Sciences, Engineering
• Social Sciences and Business

Student Participation

• Faculty must submit a draft of an abstract when registering.
• Abstract submission deadline: Thursday, April 16 at 5 p.m.
• Abstract guidelines can be found at: Components and Sample Abstract

Register for the conference at: Registration Form

Judging

Criteria

The following two rubrics will be used for the four categories. Students should familiarize themselves with the rubric for their respective area so as to address the points against which their project will be judged. Prizes will be awarded after the Keynote Speaker and lunch.

• Arts and Humanities - Physical Sciences and Information, Information Sciences, Engineering
• Biological Sciences and Health – Social Sciences and Business

Judges

Faculty who are attending the symposium are kindly asked to participate as a judge in an appropriate category. If you have any questions about judging, please email Dr. Asif ud-Doula at PSSNregSymposium@psu.edu.

Register for judging at the conference at: Registration Form
 

Learn more about Poster Instructions and Schedule of Events.
 

Keynote Speaker: Bernie McGurl

Mr. McGurl is one of the co-founding members of the Lackawanna River Conservation Association (LRCA) and has been the Executive Director for the past 3 decades. During his tenure, he has worked to educate the general public on land and water conservation, water pollution, watershed preservation, and a host of other environmental issues. He has been a driving force in the cleanup and transformation of the Lackawanna River to a Class A trout fishery. He continues to work collaboratively with the Lackawanna Heritage Trail; with community, business, government agencies; schools and universities; and the general public to promote conservation and environmental education. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards.

In his presentation, "Conservation in a Post-Industrial Landscape: A Pragmatist's Approach,” McGurl will offer a brief yet detailed history on the work and mission of the Lackawanna River Conservation Association (LRCA) and its affiliate, the Lackawanna Valley Conservancy. Among other things, he'll describe the LRCA’s innovative approach to conserving the Lackawanna River Watershed in the wake of the immense damage caused by two centuries’ worth of anthracite coal mining. He’ll also discuss how the group sees its work as multifold – that, in order to “save” the river, it needs to own or control the riverbanks. Hence, the LRCA’s partnership with the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail and Greenway program, which incorporates riparian and flood way areas, provides space for infrastructure, and removes blight and neglect while replacing it with community assets and restored natural habitat. Earlier this year, the LRCA was recognized for its hard work with the 2020 Pennsylvania River of the Year Award.

Schedule of Events

2019 Eastern Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium