Present Your Work

An array of prizes for undergraduate research are offered each year by departments, programs, and the undergraduate colleges and schools.

A number of outlets allow students to present their research and creative activities. These outlets include:

Undergraduate Writing Symposium

This symposium provides an opportunity for departments and faculty to showcase exemplary work completed in their courses and gives the Vanderbilt community an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our undergraduate students. The symposium welcomes nominations of argumentative essays, research reports, and other writing projects that can be read aloud.

Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Fair

The Vanderbilt University Office of Immersion Resources, in coordination with a number of offices and Schools, hosts the Undergraduate Research Fair every Fall. This past year, nearly 100 Vanderbilt undergraduates representing every School showed off their research to faculty and their peers. Students were also judged and awarded by members of the Vanderbilt faculty.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Science Day

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Science Day is a day for students, faculty, and staff of the Kennedy Center to celebrate its research. Students present posters and research, much which is focused on neuroscience and clinical or behavioral psychology and intervention research.

Conferences

Students should consult with their faculty mentors about submitting and presenting academic work at conferences, as conferences are a great way for students to meet other researchers in a field and to receive feedback and recognition for their work from a community of scholars. Council on Undergraduate Research provides a list of many of the conferences that undergraduates may attend.

Journals

Students are encouraged, under the guidance of a faculty member, to submit their work to peer-reviewed journals. Though competition is fierce in the world of academic publishing, every year some undergraduates to have their work published. The Council on Undergraduate Research also provides a list of many of the journals for undergraduates to consider.

Festivals, Performances, and Galleries

Many departments in the creative arts offer opportunities to showcase the work of students. Students in music programs routinely present at festivals and institutes such as the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival and the Vancouver Song Institute in addition to their numerous performances every year at Vanderbilt University and in the greater Nashville area. Additionally, the Department of Theatre offers numerous campus productions every year. The Vanderbilt Department of Cinema and Media Arts offers many opportunities for students to present their work. Finally, the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery showcases exhibitions from Vanderbilt students in the visual arts.