Undergraduate Research Conference

Save the date for April 17, 2025.
Smiling faculty and students looking at presentation boards

The Undergraduate Research Conference is an annual event where students present work related to course research, creative work in the visual and performing arts, study abroad trips, community service, and much more. The conference benefits the campus community by helping students hone their ability to present information in a public setting, give and receive constructive feedback, and view important work being done by others both in and outside of their own fields.

The conference is free to attend and open to the public. Fitchburg State is committed to providing a comfortable, inclusive, and respectful environment for all members of our community.

If you have any questions about the event, have access needs, or would like to request accommodations to fully participate in this event, please contact: ugrad-conference@fitchburgstate.edu.

View a slide show from the recent ARTeries exhibit

Presentation Information

Getting Started

Want to participate, but no sure how to start? Here are a few tips to get you started. 

Submit an Abstract

Preparing Your Presentation

Information about the format for each presentation type, from oral, poster, and other visual arts.

Creative Writing Showcase

We are soliciting public readings of creative writing pieces including poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction of durations between 30 seconds and 4 minutes.

Answers to your questions

Answers to our most frequently asked questions. 

Corporate Sponsorship

Unitil words with circle sun like image

Past Conferences

Past Winners

Congratulations to our 2024 conference award winners. 

Poster Awards

  • First place: Thomas Adler Mandile: “Synthesis of Blattellaquinone Analogues and Evaluation of Their Activity as Sex Pheromones in Hissing Cockroaches
  • Second Place: William Ghio: “Salt Content Released From Roadside Soils Affected by Road Salt Applications
  • Third Place: Mary Kate Moreau: “Assessment of Barriers and Potential Improvements on Recycling at Fitchburg State University

Writing Showcase Award

Matilda Goad “Murder By Lying

Film Award 

Elliot Zopatti “The Little Girl in The Photo is Me” 

Oral Presentation Awards

  • First Place: Brady Elliot “President Hammond-Student Relations in the 60s and 70s
  • Second Place: Madison Ambrogi and Isabel Lemek: “Navigating the Digital Equity Gap in Fitchburg Using GPS and GI
  • Third Place: Asa Oywech: “The Last Man Paradox: How We Define Right And Wrong

Congratulations to the 2019 top poster and presentation finishers.

Oral Presentation

Samantha Richard, Microplastics in the Nashua River Watershed, Dept. of Earth and Geographic Sciences, Sponsor: Dr. Daniel Welsh

Poster Presentation

Andrew Gagnon,Accessing Health Information: College Students' Health Literacy and Resource Use, Dept. of Psychological Sciences, Sponsor: Dr. Jannette McMenamy

Creative Writing Showcase

Dana Shahar, One Hundred Bedtime Stories

Congratulations to the 2018 top poster and presentation finishers.

Oral Presentation

John Sanford, Analysis of tRNA-Directed Riboswitches in Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis, Dept. of Biology and Chemistry, Sponsor: Dr. Sean Rollins

Poster Presentation

Lixandra Numbem, Synthesis of Fluorine-Containing Compounds, Dept. of Biology and Chemistry, Sponsor: Dr. Dennis Awasabisah

Creative Writing Showcase

Faith Chesbrough, CRISS CROSS

Congratulations to the 2017 top poster and presentation finishers. Click on the links to read the abstracts.

Poster

Lexie Stewart, Kasandra Gonet, Courtney Hertz, Lisa Kay, Narcan for Dummies, Dept. of Nursing, Sponsor: Dr. Deborah Stone

Presentation

Elijah Tucker, An Academic Study of Artificial Intelligence Use in the Classroom for Students with Disabilities, Dept. of Computer Science, Sponsor: Nadimpalli Mahadev

​​​​​Congratulations to the 2016 top poster and presentation finishers. Click on the links to read the abstracts.

Poster

Jacquelyn Durkan and Hannah Lombardo, How fat regulates stress response signaling in the model organism C. elegans, Dept. of Biology and Chemistry, Sponsor: Dr. Natalie Karagodsky

Presentation

Robin Pike, GIS Internship with the Ayer Department of Public Works, Dept. of Earth and Geographic Sciences, Sponsor: Dr. Jane Huang

Questions? Let us know!

Contact the Conference Co-chairs, Zachary Miner zminer@fitchburgstate.edu and Jessica Alsup jalsup@fitchburgstate.edu, via email for more information.