Attendee FAQs

The Undergraduate Symposium is an annual showcase and celebration of undergraduate research, scholarly work, service-learning, community-based research, creative projects, and fine arts. The event is composed of three poster and presentation sessions in which students concurrently present their posters, presentations, art/project displays, and films/performances. All mentors, faculty, staff, students, family, and friends are welcome and encouraged to attend!

The 2025 Undergraduate Symposium will be held on Friday, April 25 on floor 2 and 3 of Union South.

You are welcome to head to the registration tables outside of Varsity Hall when you arrive. There, staff members will provide you with an overview of the symposium schedule and assist you with finding presentation rooms. You also can go directly to a presentation room or Varsity Hall if you would like.

The symposium schedule will be released in late March/early April. It will be available on the “Overview and Event Details” page. You will be able to search for a student’s name to find when and where they will be presenting. If you have any difficulties with finding this information, you are welcome to reach out to us at ugradsymposium@wisc.edu.

Yes, digital copies of the program and abstract book will be available on the website in mid-April. You will be able to find them on the “Overview & Event Details” page and the “About” page.

The Undergraduate Symposium team is committed to ensuring the symposium is accessible and enjoyable for all participants and guests. If you have questions about accessibility or will require specific accommodations for the event, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at ugradsymposium@wisc.edu. We are more than happy to help!

We encourage students to work closely with their mentors as they prepare for the symposium. Students might request support as they write their project titles and abstracts, create their posters or presentations, or practice presenting.

Here are some helpful resources you can share as they do so:

1. The Writing Center’s Guide to Writing Abstracts
2. DesignLab’s Poster-Creation Resource
3. The Writing Center’s Guide to Creating a Poster
4. DesignLab’s Project-Specific Resources
5. DesignLab’s Presentation-Creation Resource

We also encourage students to make appointments with the Writing Center and/or DesignLab as they prepare for the symposium. The Writing Center and DesignLab can supplement the support you provide, allowing you to focus your feedback for students on content.

Yes! The symposium is a fantastic way for students to:

• Learn about what engaging in undergraduate research, scholarship, service-learning, and creative projects looks like
• Experience being and engaging in a professional setting where researchers, scholars, and creatives are presenting work
• Connect with mentors and other students on research topics that interest them
• Be inspired by the work of their peers and learn about research, scholarship, service-learning, and creative opportunities for undergraduates

We strongly encourage students who are not presenting to attend!

We encourage you to check the “Overview and Event Details” page for important symposium details and information.

If you were listed as a mentor on a participant’s application, you will receive email communications from the Undergraduate Symposium team in late March. If you signed a mentor approval form and do not receive emails from the symposium team by April, please contact us.

The symposium schedule will be available on the “Overview and Event Details” page in late March/early April.

We strongly encourage students who are not presenting to attend the Undergraduate Symposium! The event is a fantastic way to:

• Meet other students and faculty doing incredible and innovative work
• Learn about what it’s like to engage in undergraduate research, scholarship, service-learning, and creative projects (and how to get involved!)
• Experience being in a professional setting where researchers, scholars, and creatives are presenting work (which can be helpful if you plan to present work or to go to conferences in the future)
• Be inspired by the work of your peers and learn about research, scholarship, service-learning, and creative opportunities available to you

If you have anywhere from twenty minutes to a few hours free on April 25th, 2025, you should swing by floor 2 and 3 of Union South!

Yes! Attending the Undergraduate Symposium is a great way to learn about research happening across campus and to talk to other students and mentors about how to get involved. We encourage you to ask students presenting posters about how they got involved in their current work. You also can ask if they have advice for students looking to get involved in similar work.

Here are a few general tips for student attendees:

• If you are able to attend the event for only a short time (twenty to thirty minutes), we encourage you to head to Varsity Hall for the poster session. The poster session will allow you to have conversations with presenters sharing posters and to ask any questions you have about what it’s like to engage in the research or projects they’re working on. Presentations are timed, so you will not have the same opportunity to engage with presenters one-on-one in presentation sessions.
• If you plan to enter or leave a presentation room (any presentation room in Union South that is not Varsity Hall) in the middle of a session, we encourage you to wait for the presentation being given to conclude and for the next presenter to begin setting up before entering or leaving the room. Movement in the audience can be disruptive and distracting for presenters in the middle of a presentation.
• Ask presenters questions! Here are a few examples of questions you can ask:
  • What was the most interesting finding or idea they learned when working on this project?
  • How did they get into this area of study?
  • What was their biggest challenge when conducting this research?
  • Where do they go from here? Do they plan to continue this work in the future?
• Don’t hesitate to ask symposium staff for help if you’re having difficulty finding a presentation room or would like guidance as you navigate the event!

Union South is located at 1308 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53715.

Directions to Union South

Guests can park in the deck under Union South (lot 80) or in any of the lots listed on the page linked below. We encourage you to check the page monitoring current lot occupancy before departing.

Union South Parking Information

The Undergraduate Symposium schedule will be shared on the “Overview and Event Details” page in late March/early April. You will be able to search the schedule to find which presentation room your friend or family member is presenting in. If you have any difficulties finding this information or navigating the schedule, please feel free to reach out to the Undergraduate Symposium team.

We encourage event attendees to:

• Silence phones during presentation sessions
• Wait for a presentation to conclude and for the next presenter to begin setting up before entering or leaving a presentation room
• Quietly listen during students’ presentations and ask any questions during the question-and-answer period (which moderators will announce)
• Ask presenters questions about their work. Some good questions to ask are:
  • How did they get involved in this project?
  • What was most interesting to them about their findings?
  • What did they most enjoy when working on this project?
  • Do they plan to continue this research in the future?
• Feel free to ask event staff any questions you have!

Yes, support staff will be available to assist with navigation and any other questions you have on the day of the event. Please head to the registration tables outside of Varsity Hall to speak with a staff member.