SRC 2021
 

Hello! Welcome to the 2021 Summer Research Conference FAQ section! 

For Student Presenters....

 Can I play music and/or videos in my presentation?

  • Yes, you can make use of multimedia if it is appropriate to your presentation within the context of your project. If you choose to do this, please remember that you will still have a total time limit of 10 minutes for your presentation. Keep in mind that music and/or videos should be a supplement to your live presentation; they should not replace your live presentation. Also be sure to do a practice run-through beforehand to resolve any possible technical difficulties with broadcasting this material via a Zoom screen share.

What should I wear?

  • The dress code for this conference--and for most academic conferences--is business casual. Depending on your own style preferences, this might mean a button-down shirt, a blouse and a sweater, a dress, or something else that represents your best scholarly self. Be sure to wear clothes that are comfortable; you don’t want to be adjusting uncomfortable clothing during your presentation.

What should I do while I'm not presenting?

  • When you are not presenting, turn off your video and microphone and watch the other panelists present. Whether you are a fellow panelist or an audience member, you should be actively listening and taking notes as needed. Taking notes is an effective strategy for reminding yourself about possible future directions for your own research, and for preparing to ask good questions during a panel session.

Can I write out my presentation and read directly from it?

  • We encourage every presenter to have conversations with their faculty mentor about how to best approach the presentation. In some fields of study, the convention is to present more conversationally and refer to talking points as you go. In some fields of study, the convention is that you have a prepared paper that acts almost like a script. There is not a right or wrong way to present, but there are conventions and stylistic choices in every field of study that your faculty mentor can help explain.
  • If you do have a prepared script for your presentation, please do not simply read from it in a monotonous voice without engaging the audience. Think about your presentation as a performance, which should draw in your audience and get them excited about your project in a way that is different from simply reading a paper.

Why wasn't I grouped in a panel with my labmates or colleagues?

  • We encourage students to form new intellectual connections through the conference. Think of this as an opportunity to meet different people with whom to discuss your work and brainstorm new ideas.

What should I do if someone asks me a question and I either don't know the answer or only partially know the answer?

  • When it comes to Q&A, honesty is always the best policy. If somebody asks you a question that you have difficulty answering, you can thank them for their question and explain that you will further pursue the answer to that question in future research. Keep in mind that--in most cases--scholars use conference presentations to workshop their ideas and implement feedback and inspiration for future work. If you already knew all the answers, why would you be doing research?

How do I ask good questions at a conference?

  • Audience members who ask good questions are an important part of any academic conference. When posing questions to presenters, engage with the topic and framework of their project. Ask questions that allow for them to elaborate upon or clarify their argument. Also, ask questions that forge thematic connections between different panelists' presentations, and inspire conversation.
  • Here is an example of a good question: "Thank you for sharing your research about representations of women in eighteenth-century Japanese art. Based on the research you have conducted, have you observed any recurring visual motifs in these various paintings? If so, what do these motifs illustrate about ideologies of gender during this time period?"
  • Here is another example of a good question: "Thank you for sharing your research about representations of women in eighteenth-century Japanese art. I appreciate the ways in which your research emphasizes the various power dynamics at play in the creation and circulation of visual culture. This got me thinking about all of the presentations on this panel. Each of you are analyzing aspects of visual culture from various places and time periods. To all of the panelists: what have you observed about the relationship between power and artistic production in your own research?"
  • Conversely, we discourage audience members from asking questions that are off-topic or irrelevant to the conversation. As an audience member asking questions, you should feel free to mention your own area of study if it is relevant, but not if it is a distraction from the topics being discussed during that panel.
  • Here is an example of a bad question: "Thank you for sharing your research about representations of women in eighteenth-century Japanese art. I study the chemical reactions that happen in AA batteries when you leave them out in the sun for too long. Can you please connect your research project to mine in 5 words or less?"

What should I do if I have technical difficulties during the conference?

  • If you are having trouble accessing a Zoom room, try logging out and then logging back in again. We will also have staff available via email who you can contact in an emergency if you are having technical difficulties, particularly if you are a panelist for that session.

Can my friends/research team/family etc. attend? How do they register?

  • Yes! We encourage you to invite anybody who has been part of your ongoing intellectual journey, however directly or indirectly. They can register for free as an "Attendee/Guest" on the conference registration page, which can be found by visiting src.ucsd.edu. They will not pay any registration fee to attend. They will also need to register through the zoom links (pgs. 5 & 6 of this program) for each event/panel they wish to attend.

Will the audience at my panel be knowledgeable about my field of study?

  • Yes and no. Some audience members might be faculty or fellow students who study related topics. Also, some audience members might know very little about your field of study. Think of your presentation as an opportunity to teach something new to both of these types of audience members.

 

For any  questions, please reach out to the Office of Undergraduate Research team via aep@ucsd.edu. 

 

For Sponsors... 

For any questions financial/payment information, please reach out to Nirvana Navarro at n2navarro@ucsd.edu. For any other questions, please reach out to the Office of Undergraduate Research team via aep@ucsd.edu.