Rod Library will be hosting the Inspire conference student Research and Engagement on Monday April 3, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  and Tuesday April 4, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

This confrence is  a chance for undergraduate and graduate students to share their research and experiences,like  internships and study abroad opportunities. The conference is sponsored by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Graduate College at UNI.

The conference began in 1994 as the CSBS student research conference. In 2018 it was extended to include engagement and the name was changed to INSPIRE Student Research & Engagement Conference.

Helen Harton, professor of psychology and graduate coordinator and Windee Weiss, an Associate Professor in the Kinesiology & Physical Education Division, are the co-coordinators of the conference. 

Registration is not required for the event, and all UNI students are welcome to attend. “This year we have around 100 students presenting nearly 90 projects from every college on campus. They can do poster presentations, where they show a poster related to their project and talk to people who come by during a session, or oral presentations, where they do a talk,” said Harton. 

Harton also mentioned other options like computer simulation presentations, and music performances.Each year, the conference has a little over 100 attendees. In previous years, the mayor and several other committee members attended. 

Presentations however are limited to students and recent graduates. “It’s a great opportunity to see all the cool things that students are doing at UNI and the ways they are going beyond the classroom to increase their skills and help others,” stated Harton. 

Harton encourages students to think about what projects they are willing to share in the following year. “It’s a great way to get feedback about your project, as well as to enhance valuable communication skills. It’s also fun to share with others things that you’ve spent months working on!” said Harton. 

People interested in learning more about the conference should definitely attend to learn more about what amazing research opportunities UNI has to offer. And those interested in past conferences, can visit https://scholarworks.uni.edu/csbsresearchconf/ to read past students’ papers and view past presentations.