Frontiers 2020

2020 Frontiers Undergraduate Research Online Exhibition: View the Program

Frontiers in Undergraduate Research exhibitions provide opportunities for UConn’s talented undergraduate researchers to share their work with the university community. The fall and spring Frontiers events are occasions to celebrate the efforts of student researchers and their dedicated mentors.

Consistent with the University’s steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Frontiers 2020 has moved online. The Frontiers 2020 Program is now live! Click on the image to the right to access the program.

The Frontiers Online Exhibition Program includes a compilation of the project summaries and reflections submitted by students, as well as links to additional project materials students have shared. You are also invited to view the #uconnfrontiers2020 Portfolium tag page for the exhibition.

We hope you enjoy learning about UConn students' innovative projects and what they have learned through their engagement in research and creative activity. We are pleased to have this opportunity to celebrate students' ideas, questions, explorations, discoveries, and creations in a form that matches this moment.

Apply to Share Your Project

The 2020 Frontiers Online Exhibition is available for viewing here. We will be creating an addendum of all additional projects submitted via this project submission form by 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2020. Please complete one submission form per project. If your project is collaborative, please work together with your collaborators to prepare the information below and designate a point person to submit the form on behalf of the group.

Please gather the information below, prepare your project summary and reflection, and upload any material you might wish to share via Portfolium before completing the submission form. The form will ask for the following information:

  • Project Information
    • Project title
    • Project funding (e.g., Change Grant, Health Research Program, OUR Supply Award)
    • Project summary: In approximately 250 words, provide a brief overview of your research or creative project that is accessible to a general audience. Further guidance is available here. The online form has a 2,500-character limit on this field, which includes spaces.
    • Reflection on learning: Please describe what you have learned by engaging in this project. Further guidance is available here (see page 2). Note: For multi-author projects, please compile reflections on learning from your group members and enter them, along with attribution to specific students, in the submission form.
    • Optional - Portfolium link: Students are invited to upload their project summary, reflection, and any additional project materials they might wish to share (e.g., poster, figures, images, video, manuscript) to Portfolium, an ePortfolio system to which all UConn affiliates have access. Further guidance on showcasing a project on Portfolium and accessing a shareable link is available here.
  • Student Information (for each undergraduate collaborator/co-author)
    • Name
    • Student Admin Number
    • Email address
    • Expected graduation date (month & year)
    • Major(s)
    • Campus
    • Scholar designations (e.g., University Scholar, STEM Scholar, McNair Scholar)
  • Project Advisor Information (for each faculty or staff project mentor)
    • Name
    • Department
    • UConn School/College or, if external to UConn, Institution Name

Resources for Students

You may find the following resources helpful as you prepare to share your project at the Frontiers Online Exhibition:

FAQ for Students

What is the Frontiers Online Exhibition going to consist of?
Based on student submissions, the Office of Undergraduate Research is compiling an exhibition program, which will be posted to this webpage in early May. For each project, the program will list:

  • Project title
  • Student author(s): Name, graduation date, major(s)
  • Faculty/staff advisor(s): Name, title, department/institution
  • Project summary
  • Reflection on learning
  • If submitted: Link to project materials posted on Portfolium

By reading the program and clicking on the links, audience members will be able to learn about the projects students have pursued as well as what they've learned through their engagement in research and creative activity. In addition, Portfolium projects tagged #uconnfrontiers2020 will be viewable on the Portfolium tag page for the exhibition.

I've already prepared a poster. Is there a way for me to share that?
Yes! We encourage you to upload your poster file to Portfolium; detailed instructions about how to do so can be accessed here. Please ensure that you are consulting with your faculty mentor about sharing the contents of your poster online as considerations about intellectual property or the sharing of pre-publication data may apply to your project.

Can I share more than one project in the Frontiers Online Exhibition?
Yes! If you've been involved in more than one research or creative project, you are welcome to share them all in the Frontiers Online Exhibition. Please complete one submission form per project.

I'm required to present at Frontiers because I received OUR funding. Is that still the case?
Given the extraordinary circumstances of the spring 2020 semester, OUR is suspending the Frontiers presentation requirement for the following groups of awardees:

  • HRP 2019
  • IDEA Cohorts 12 (Fall 2018) and 13 (Spring 2019)
  • OUR Supply and Travel Awards 2018-19 and 2019-20
  • SHARE Spring 2019
  • SURF 2019