Student Engagement

• Students should submit their abstracts through the FURC 2025 abstract portal by December 2, 2024.

• Abstracts/creative statement should not exceed 250 words; abstracts over 250 words will be rejected.

• Abstracts should provide a summary of your project and allow people to quickly grasp the main purpose and ideas of your research/creative project (why does this project matter?).
• Because FURC is a multi-disciplinary conference, you want to ensure your abstract can be understood by a wide, general audience (not just people in your field). This means you should avoid jargon and try to make the language of your abstract accessible to non-experts.
• Abstracts are discipline-specific, so it is recommended you work with your faculty mentor when constructing your abstract to ensure you follow best practices for your discipline. 
• There may be one additional student presenter attached to a poster. Each presentation/poster only needs ONE abstract submitted. However, each student presenter that is attending FURC must register and pay the registration fee.
• To submit to FURC, you must either: 1) be an actively enrolled undergraduate student, OR 2) a recent graduate who has not yet enrolled in a graduate program as of Spring 2025.
• Graduate students, post-docs, and faculty members can be listed as coauthors on your poster but should not be listed as co-presenters in your abstract submission.
• Be mindful that we may need to extend the abstract submission deadline depending upon submissions.

Presenters

The deadline to submit your abstract to FURC is December 2, 2024. You may want to wait for the acceptance of your abstract before registering for the event.

If you have questions about your FURC abstract, e-mail rsch-furc2025@usf.edu.

Abstract Resources

• USF Libraries: Writing Abstracts
• The University of Oregon: Abstract and Arist Statement Writing Tips
• Michigan State University: Abstract Samples 

FURC invites faculty and staff to submit abstracts for workshop presentations during the event on Saturday. Workshop presentations are 45 minutes, and, in the past, have covered topics such as graduate school application tips, how to get more out of your research, funding, and more. We encourage proposals that are inclusive and applicable to all disciplines, including STEM, Arts and Humanities, Business, Medical, and Law.

If you're interested in submitting an abstract to be considered for a workshop presentation, please complete the Workshop Submission questionnaire by Monday, January 6, 2025.

To attend FURC, you must complete the registration and submit payment. You do not have to present at FURC to register and attend.

Consult your institution’s Office of Undergraduate Research prior to registering to see how your school handles FURC registration/payment.

• Abstract submission is separate from event registration.
• You should wait for the acceptance of your abstract before registering for this event. Before registering contact your Undergraduate Research Office to see if they are paying for your registration. We cannot reimburse registration fees (unless there are special circumstances, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis).
• To attend FURC, you must complete registration AND submit payment
• You do not have to present at FURC to register and attend (friends, family, and colleagues are welcome, but they must register and pay the standard registration fee to attend the event). Late and on-site registration will not be available.
• Registration for students, faculty, and staff is $70. FURC institutional members receive a 10% discount ($63). Check the FURC Institutional Members below to see if your institution is a member or visit the FURA website to learn how to become a member. 
• Registration payments for individual students (once abstract has been accepted) and faculty can be completed through the FURC 2025 Registration Portal.
• See instructions for completing the FURC registration.

Group Registration

Institutions looking to register multiple students whether presenting or attending  should do the following:

• Register and pay for students through the FURC 2025 Registration Portal by January 29, 2025.
• When completing registration in the portal, you should enter in the requested registration information for each individual registrant, and all the individual registrations to your cart within the portal, and then check out and pay for all registrants and one payment.
• The FURC planning team will contact you to confirm your institution’s registered participants

USF Faculty and Staff

•  Please email rsch-furc2025@usf.edu to obtain a promotion code for registration.

If you have any questions or concerns, e-mail rsch-furc2025@usf.edu.

Check back soon to view the FURC 2025 program.

TBD

Please note that Florida Undergraduate Research Association (FURA) institutional members receive discounted registration to FURC. Check below to see if your institution is a current institutional member before purchasing registration.

If you are a student, check with your Undergraduate Research Office prior to registering to see how your school handles FURC registration.

Are you a faculty or staff member who does not see your school on the list? Email FURA at fura@floridaundergradresearch.org or visit the FURA website to learn about how to become a member.

• Posters for FURC should be 48” wide by 36” tall.
• Poster walls and Velcro dots to adhere posters to the walls will be provided.
• Poster check-in will be available on Saturday. Participants may drop off their poster upon arrival and pick up their posters before presenting. DO NOT BRING YOUR POSTERS TO FRIDAY NIGHT'S RECEPTION. WE WILL NOT BE CHECKING ANY POSTERS UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING.
• Participants are responsible for finding their poster spot using the program as a guide, securing their poster(s) to the provided poster board, and removing their poster(s) at the end of their session.
• Poster templates can be found online. These templates are provided for your convenience and may be edited to fit your needs.

USF Students

The University of South Florida Tampa Library has large scale printers for printer posters.

• All Tampa Library Information Commons (1st Floor) open-use computers are set up for printing to the large-scale printers. Please speak with the IT Help Desk for assistance.
• USF affiliates may print posters in the Tampa library for $22.46 (Satin) or $15.90 (Plain).
• Check with your faculty mentor to find out if their college or department offers poster printing services.
• ProCopy also provides poster printing services and provides a discount to USF students.
• It is highly recommended presenters print their posters early. That way if there are any printing issues, there is ample time to find an alternate printing service.
• Poster templates can be found online. These templates are provided for your convenience and may be edited to fit your needs.

Each year, FURC hosts a graduate school fair in which graduate recruiters from across the country are invited to attend. Recruiters should be comfortable speaking about all their institution’s graduate programs, including STEM, Arts and Humanities, Business, Medical, and Law. Recruiter registration for FURC 2025 includes a 6 ft. table (and two chairs) for Saturday's event, breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

The graduate recruiter registration fee for FURC 2025 is $325.

There are several hotels near the conference site. The Embassy Suites is excellent for graduate recruiters: 3705 Spectrum Blvd, Tampa FL 33612. Rate: $259/night.

If you're interested in submitting an abstract to be considered for a workshop presentation, please complete the Workshop Submission questionnaire by Monday, January 6, 2025.

USF is easily accessed from I-75 and I-275. The address is 4202 E Fowler Ave Tampa, FL. 33620 for any mapping service in any device.

All the events in the program will be held at the University of South Florida Campus (4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620), in the Marshall Student Center. 
 
There are several hotels near the conference site (4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620).

Embassy Suites (Excellent for Graduate Recruiters) 
3705 Spectrum Blvd, Tampa FL 33612 
Rate: $259/night

Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton 
8210 Hidden River Parkway, Tampa FL 33637 
Rate: $149/night 
 
Hilton Garden Inn Tampa North 
13305 Tampa Oaks Blvd., Temple Terrace FL 33637 
Rate: $160/night 
 
Home2 Suites by Hilton 
11606 N. McKinley Dr., Tampa FL 33612 
Rate: $169/night 
 
Hyatt Place Busch Gardens 
11408 N 30th St., Tampa FL  33612 
Rate: $189/night

Ramada by Wyndham
11714 Morris Bridge Road, Tampa FL 33637 
+1-813-990-0580 - Call for room, say you’re with FURC 2025 
Rate: $123/night 

Please note that these rates are only available until the hotels reach capacity.

Map of the hotels near USF campus:

The 2025 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference will be held on Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15 at the University of South Florida Campus (4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620), in the Marshall Student Center.

Visitors can purchase all-day parking permits for $5.00 plus tax through the Parkmobile app, at the machines in the lot, in our office, or online. They are valid in the “D” lots on campus. See the USF visitor map (PDF) for locations, and more information can be found on the Visitor/Daily Permits page.

The following is provided at the event:

• Friday - heavy hors d'oeuvres
• Saturday - light breakfast, lunch, and all-day refreshments

Yes, when possible. Please ensure the event organizers are aware of this ahead of time through your registration.

No, student presenters must be enrolled in, having a valid email and ID associated with, a Florida undergraduate 2-year or 4-year college or university. Recent graduates from an institution who are not yet enrolled in graduate or professional school by Spring 2025 are also eligible to submit an abstract and present their work.

Yes, students who graduated within the past 12 months from a Florida college/university and have not matriculated to graduate or professional school by Spring 2025 may attend and present.

Students at every stage of their academic research are encouraged to apply to FURC, if they have the support from their faculty research mentor.

Yes, as long as you are an undergraduate researcher currently enrolled in a Florida undergraduate 2-year or 4-year university, you may present research conducted at off-campus labs, REU sites, etc. Please list your PI as the faculty mentor of the project. This does not include dual enrollment students, who are ineligible to present at FURC.

Yes, but they must submit separate abstract submissions for each project.

Yes, the registration desk remains open throughout the two days of the event. Attendees can check-in at any time.

Yes, the event is open to anyone interested in attending. However, they must register as a guest and pay the non-FURA member registration fee. On-site registration will not be available for the event, so it is important that all attendees are registered by the deadline.

Yes, however, you must register and pay the registration fee. On-site registration will not be available for the event, so it is important that all attendees are registered by the deadline. Please note that USF is a FURA institutional member, so USF attendees must register through the FURA-Member FURC 2025 Registration Portal to receive discounted registration.

The deadline for registration is January 29, 2025.

Registration will cost $70. FURC institutional members receive a 10% discount ($63).

Yes, guests and non-presenting attendees may attend only one or both days of the conference. However, registration rates remain the same.

Abstract/creative statements are limited to 250 words, and should include an introductory statement, the approach/methods, any results, and a discussion/conclusion. Only submit plan text-do not include any pictures, graphs, or special characters with your abstract submission. We suggest you contact your faculty mentor or campus writing center for assistance constructing your abstract.

No, please only have the primary author complete the project’s abstract submission. A co-author may be listed on the same application. If accepted, simply ensure that both presenters who will be standing at the poster during the poster session individually register as a student presenter via the FURC 2025 Registration form. All co-authors listed on the initial application will be listed in the final event program.

Submitting an abstract for consideration for FURC 2025 is free. However, if accepted to the conference, all student presenters must register via the FURC 2025 Registration form and pay the corresponding registration fee. We encourage students to seek fee assistance and/or research travel awards from their home institution to cover the cost of registration and/or attendance. If your institution does not provide any form of fee assistance and/or travel award, the Florida Undergraduate Research Association intends to make a fee waiver application available to select students. Email rsch-furc2025@usf.edu.

No, participants are not judged at FURC. There are no awards.

FURC is inclusive of all academic research, scholarship, and creative inquiry across all disciplines.

The standard poster size is 36” tall x 48” wide. Materials used to hang the poster will be provided. It is highly recommended that all posters at FURC are printed through a digital poster printer. These are often available on campuses, please talk to your faculty mentor about options.

Posters are randomly assigned a time to be presented. We highly encourage all presenters to stay for all poster sessions to visit the other student presentations.

Students are strongly encouraged to bring copies of their resumes/CVs. The graduate school fair hosted by FURC is an excellent way to network with many universities across the country. Over 30 graduate school programs have participated at each past FURC.

Comfortable business-casual or smart-casual attire is recommended for the two-day event. We also recommend wearing comfortable shoes, as some of the workshop spaces may be in a different part of the building.

It is highly recommended that you practice your presentation with your faculty mentor, graduate students, friends, and/or family. Since this is a multi-disciplinary event, you should be sure to describe your project in language that can be understood by all attendees. Poster presentations are short – typically less than 10 minutes. Be sure to tell why your work is important and the “take home message.”