April 2 and 3, 2026 in McDaniel Hall

Application Deadline: February 28, 2026      

Student Scholar Days (SSD) is a two day exhibition where students can highlight and share their scholarly accomplishments with the rest of the ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø State community. Grizzlies from all majors engage in scholarship, creative work, and the discovery of knowledge and in the spirit of High Impact Practices (HIPs) and co-curricular engagement, Student Scholar Days is an annual exhibition that exemplifies interdisciplinary student achievement in an academic conference setting. ³Ô¹Ï¹ÙÍø apply for acceptance to Student Scholar Days and work directly with a faculty mentor to develop and present their scholarly works.

The SSD event includes three options for participation

  1. Abstract Competition. All entries are automatically entered into the abstract competition. 
  2. Oral Presentation Competition (18-20 minute oral presentations with 3 minutes for follow-up questions)
  3. Poster Presentation Competition (2 hour poster gallery)

To participate in any competition, a short abstract (150-500 words) about your research or creative work. All abstracts will be reviewed and scored by a panel of judges. Top-scoring scholars in the presentation categories will be invited to present their work at Student Scholar Days. 

Oral presentations and poster presentations will be observed and scored by a panel of judges. Cash prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the following categories: best abstract, best oral presentation, and best poster presentation. Undergraduate and graduate students will be judged separately.  Rubrics are available below. 

1. Abstract competition

How to write an abstract

  • An abstract is a brief (150-500 word) summary of your project, which includes purpose, context, methods, brief conclusion. The goal of an abstract is to entice the reader to come to your presentation/performance or poster and learn more about your work.
  • Briefly describe what is already known
  • Describe the motivation behind your project and how it contributes to what is already known
  • Describe how you approached your project
  • Describe the outcome of your project
  • Write a one or two sentence conclusion on the implications of your work

Helpful Links

2. Oral Presentation Competition

Archived Presentations

  •   Virtual Presentations

3. Poster Competition

SSD Committee Contacts

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences

The School of Visual and Performing Arts

The School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences

The School of Business

First Year Seminar

The School of Nursing

Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences & Computer Science Department

Education and Leadership

Biology