Catch a rising star at the 2016 Undergraduate Research Fair Feb. 24

Undergrads will have an opportunity to showcase their research at the 2016 Undergraduate Research Fair presented by the York University Libraries
Undergrads will have an opportunity to showcase their research at the 2016 Undergraduate Research Fair presented by the York University Libraries

Seventy-two students from all York faculties on both campuses will present their research projects at York University’s fourth annual multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Fair, Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 11am to 1pm, in the Scott Library Collaboratory (second floor).

Intended to showcase undergraduate research in a friendly, cross-curricular environment, the fair gives students an opportunity to present their work in the form of an academic poster. Student photographers from the School of Arts, Media, Performance & Design will be on site to record the event, and a trio of student klezmer musicians from the Department of Music will play at 12:45pm. The awards ceremony begins at 1pm, when over $4300 in award monies will be distributed. Monetary prizes ($200, $500) will be awarded to poster session presenters deemed to have the best lower-year project, best upper-year project, best group project, best honours thesis, and best poster presentation. Fair attendees select a People’s Choice winner. All student-presenters will receive an invitation to submit an article on their project, to be considered for publication in York’s newest refereed e-journal Revue YOUR Review (York Online Undergraduate Research), associated with the fair.

Last year's Undergraduate Research Fair featured a capacity crowd
Last year’s Undergraduate Research Fair featured a capacity crowd

In addition, the University Libraries offer an Information Literacy award of $600 to the fair participant whose project best exemplifies good practices in library research and information literacy. Information literacy encompasses a set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze and use information, and has a particular focus on the development of critical engagement with information and the information-seeking process.

All award winners will be honoured, along with distinguished faculty researchers, at the University’s Research Leaders gala later the same day (5-7:30pm, Accolade East Recital Hall).

The 2015 Undergraduate Research Fair award winners were celebrated at York University's Research Leaders Gala.
The 2015 Undergraduate Research Fair award winners were celebrated at York University’s Research Leaders Gala.

New this year – student applicants who have created a piece of artwork for a 2015 York credit course will have their work displayed in an Art Walk in Scott Library during the Fair. Two art submissions will be chosen to grace the cover of upcoming issues of Revue YOUR Review (YOURreview.journals.yorku.ca), sponsored by York University Libraries.
University Librarian Joy Kirchner encourages the University community to support these outstanding undergraduate researchers.

“Please drop by the Collaboratory in Scott Library to talk with these budding scholars about their research projects. The Undergraduate Research Fair is a wonderful informal learning opportunity as well as an important venue to recognize the quality of student scholarship at York,” said Kirchner.

York University’s Undergraduate Research Fair is open to the York community as well as to family and friends. For more information, visit the Undergraduate Research Fair website at: researchfair.info.yorku.ca.