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  3. Undergraduate Research and Creativity

Undergraduate Research and Creativity

Ideas and innovation that make a difference.

Student presenting at the SC Honors Capstone

Through research and outreach, Simpson College makes a positive impact in our local community, in Iowa, and beyond. 

In labs, offices, and studios across campus, our faculty members are conducting original research, creating artistic works, and contributing to important advocacy and outreach efforts. Many of them also mentor and collaborate with students as they embark on their own research projects. 

 

 

At Simpson College, research, scholarship and creative work provides an opportunity for individual students or small groups of students to explore an issue of interest to them in a manner consistent with the discipline and to communicate their results to others. Projects may involve inquiry, design, creation, investigation, research, analysis, discovery, application, writing and/or performance.

Experiments done in a scientific laboratory, archival research, interviews that explore a social or political concern, data collection and analysis, and creation of an artistic work are all examples of research that can involve undergraduate students.

Most Simpson College students have an opportunity to participate in undergraduate research as part of their course work or by working on research projects outside of the classroom. Travel stipends allow students to travel to regional or national conferences to present their work. In addition, over twenty students each year get paid to participate in undergraduate research during the summer.

Every spring the Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by Simpson College showcases the outstanding research conducted by our students.

Annual Research and Creativity Symposium

The annual Simpson College Research and Creativity Symposium (RCS) is a multi-disciplinary event that showcases outstanding student work through the presentation of papers, performances, posters and panel discussions. The symposium gives students an opportunity to share their knowledge with instructors and peers in a scholarly, supportive environment that thrives on inquisitiveness and interaction.

At Simpson College, research, scholarship and creative work provide an opportunity for individual students or small groups of students to explore an issue of interest to them in a manner consistent with the discipline and to communicate their results to others. Projects may involve inquiry, design, creation, investigation, research, analysis, discovery, application, writing and/or performance.

 

Symposium Abstract Submission Forms



Application Forms for Undergraduate Research

Summer Research 

Participating in a summer undergraduate research program is an opportunity for students and faculty to spend 8-10 weeks focused on research projects. Students get to explore research in their major and they generally receive a stipend and housing allowance.

Simpson College hosts several different summer undergraduate research programs on its campus each year including the Bryan Summer Research Program in Mathematics and the Simpson College Ecological Research Program. More information on the current projects from each program can be found on this site.

Each fall, Simpson College showcases the summer research conducted by its students during the Summer Research Symposium.

 

Summer research programs are held for 8 to 10 weeks at colleges, universities, laboratories, hospitals, and institutes across the country and abroad. They are usually intended for students after their sophomore or junior years of college, but there are an increasing number of programs that seek students after their first year. A student’s time at a summer research program is generally devoted to working in small groups with other undergraduate students on original research projects under the direction of a professional researcher.

Summer research programs usually pay each student a stipend of several thousand dollars to participate. In addition, they often cover travel and living expenses for the duration of the program and fund travel to present research at conferences.

Tips on applying to summer research programs

  • Customize your application for each program. Indicate why you are specifically interested in that program.
  • Many programs have special niches. For instance, they want to promote graduate school or they want to introduce laboratory skills to students who do not have much laboratory experience. Make sure your personal statement clearly highlights how you fit in this niche.
  • Each program has different requirements for its participants, so pay close attention to them. For example, some programs expect their participants to have completed certain classes and the majority require U.S. citizenship.
  • Emphasize your potential by mentioning any undergraduate research you have completed and any outstanding projects or term papers you have completed for your classes.
  • Indicate any interest in graduate school that you may have. Note that programs in biological or medical fields generally prefer students who have an interest in graduate school rather than students who are strictly interested in medical school.
  • Ask a professor in your major to read over your application materials.
  • Every application will require recommendation letters. Do not wait until the last minute to request them from your professors!

Links to summer research opportunities on and off campus. 

Institutional Review Board

Download an application for Approval of Research Involving Human Participants.  If you are requesting modifications to an already approved project, use application for modifications.

The Simpson College Institutional Review Board (IRB) was established in September 2002. The board’s mission is to ensure that research involving human participants at Simpson College is conducted in an ethical manner that minimizes risks to participants. Simpson College requires research projects covered by this policy to be reviewed by the IRB before the research begins. Proposals may be approved, rejected or, in rare cases, exempted from further action by the IRB. Projects are approved for a period of up to one year. Annual reports are required for projects lasting longer than one year. The IRB is expected to act on proposals in a timely manner. If concerns are raised during a review, the IRB will provide guidance to the investigator so the proposal can be revised and approved.

 

The following research activities require IRB review

  1. Research utilizing human participants and conducted with the intent or expectation of presenting or publishing the results
  2. Research utilizing human participants that is conducted by undergraduate or graduate students
  3. Data collected outside of the classroom.

Not all research is covered by the IRB policy. The following research activities do not require IRB approval:

  1. Research that does not utilize human participants
  2. Research a Simpson College instructor might conduct within his or her own classes to evaluate the effectiveness of various learning tools or methods of instruction
  3. Research conducted as an educational activity during a regularly scheduled class and directly supervised by a Simpson College instructor.
  4. 4) Journalistic reporting

The Simpson College IRB is composed of five members to be elected by the faculty. Additional members may be added if the board is acting on a proposal that will be submitted for federal funding. Federal guidelines require at least one member from outside the college and one member from a non-science discipline.

The board utilizes a review plan that is consistent with federal guidelines for research involving human participants, Title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 46. These guidelines permit the initial screening and classification proposals into two categories based on the level of risk to the potential participants.

Category 1

Studies in Category 1 are judged to provide no more than a minimal risk to the participants and are referred for an expedited review. The proposed study will be reviewed by a designated board member and returned to the board chair with a recommendation. If the evaluator recommends approval, the chair will send an approval letter to the investigator. In the unlikely event the evaluator does not recommend approval, the proposal will be submitted for a full review. Estimated turnaround time 1 week.

Category 2

Studies in Category 2 are judged to be of more than minimal risk to participants or involve special populations such as minors. Copies of the proposal will be distributed to all board members and the proposal will be discussed at a meeting of the full board. Investigators will be invited to attend the meeting to answer questions about their study. Following the meeting, the board chair will inform the investigator in writing of the board’s decision. Estimated turnaround time is 2 weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

We suggest that posters be presented on a 36-inch high by 48-inch wide tri-fold poster board. Lettering should be large enough to be legible at a distance of 5 feet. Presenters will be expected to display their work (Black Box Theatre, Kent Campus Center) during the morning registration session and return to stand with their posters during the Poster and Exhibit Session in the afternoon.  They will discuss their work with judges at this time and answer any questions attendees may have.

Presentations will be organized into sessions grouped by topics or disciplines, with each presenter allotted 12 minutes to speak and 3 minutes for audience questions. For work with multiple authors, the authors can decide among themselves their various roles in presenting within the 12 minute limit.  

Requirements vary according to the medium, so please consult a member of the Symposium committee for specifics. Performances should last no less than 10 minutes and no more than 20.

Research, scholarship and creativity may be defined broadly as any self-directed work that enables individual students or small groups of students to explore an issue of interest to them and to communicate the results to others. The projects involve inquiry, design, investigation, research, analysis, scholarship, discovery, application, writing and/or performance, depending on the topic. Each field may approach research, scholarship and creativity in its own way and with its own emphases. Students are encouraged to consult with a professor in their particular field as to whether or not their project is appropriate for the Symposium.

Visit main RCS webpage for specific dates and locations. For more precise times, see the schedule.

All currently enrolled undergraduate Simpson students are eligible to participate.

As long as it is your work, it is eligible for consideration. If your work involves collaboration with another individual, you must obtain their permission for you to present it at the Simpson Symposium; if your partner(s) is a Simpson student, you may present your work together.  

Presentations may be either individually or collaboratively created; however, though there is no limit on the number of authors involved in a project to be presented, due to time constraints no more than three students may make an oral presentation at the Symposium. Larger groups may wish to consider organizing a panel, but they will need a Simpson faculty member to apply for one.

Posters may present findings of a work that is currently still in progress. All other presentations, performances and exhibits must be in a completed state, according to the standards of their particular field, by the time of the Symposium.

Yes to both. Each project and/or format must have its own application, however. For example, if you wish to submit a visual art exhibit such as a painting for consideration and you also want to give an oral presentation on your painting, you must apply twice, once for the exhibit and once for the oral presentation.

Only one student will apply per presentation, poster, or performance, listing other presenters on the application.

No; each student application is for a single presentation, performance or poster (even if done collaboratively).  Groups that wish to make multiple presentations on a related theme should work with a faculty member, who could apply for a panel with discussion on the topic.

You are strongly encouraged to work closely with your faculty sponsor in writing and editing your abstract. Your faculty sponsor may be willing to look over your abstract in advance and offer you help; check with them. Remember that the abstract is the only way for your work to be judged during the submission and acceptance process, so please make sure it is of the highest quality. Your abstract is limited to a total of 300 words. University of California, Davis has created a very useful webpage full of tips for abstracts.

For helpful tips and guidelines related to posters and presentations, please use the following link. For other helpful tips related to posters and presentations, please check this Purdue webpage.

We encourage students to ask the faculty member who helped them with the research to be their sponsor.  If the research was conducted at another institution, we would suggest you connect with a trusted Simpson College faculty member for sponsorship.

You will be notified by email by March 22nd.

A committee of faculty from the Division in which the student’s work is undertaken will review abstracts with the assistance of Symposium organizers.

The unexpected is to be expected with research! Unless something major happens that would prevent you from completing your project, however, you do not need to inform the Symposium committee. When in doubt, consult your faculty sponsor.

No.  If you have a conflict with your scheduled time, please contact a member of the Symposium committee as soon as possible.

If your project involves human or animal research, you must have obtained such approval, unless you are clearly presenting your work as a proposed project and make it clear that absolutely no research has yet been conducted. Such criteria would be met only in the poster sessions; anyone giving an oral presentation on a project involving human or animal research must have an IRB or IACUC approval.

Absolutely!

We hope to have an on-line journal in which we will publish select papers presented at the Symposium.

No. The Symposium is free for participants and attendees.

Requirements vary according to the medium, so please consult a member of the Symposium committee for specifics. Performances should last no less than 10 minutes and no more than 20.

Contact Professors listed on the main RCS webpage within a week of being accepted. Specify the exact audio-visual equipment you will need. 

Attire should be business casual or more formal (jeans are highly discouraged).  The Symposium is open to the public and many members of the Simpson community will attend along with their family and friends, so you should strive to make a good impression.

You are strongly encouraged to arrive at the room in which you are presenting at least 10 minutes before your session starts to introduce yourself to the session moderator.  You should plan on attending the entire session in which you are presenting.  The Symposium committee encourages you to attend as many Symposium sessions as possible to support and celebrate outstanding work completed by Simpson students.

A faculty sponsor is a member of the Simpson faculty who endorses your proposal and work as appropriate for submission to the Symposium. A faculty mentor is directly involved with your work, closely monitoring it and advising you throughout the process. A sponsor may also be a mentor but does not have to be.

All information will be sent directly to your Simpson email address.

The poster session and reception runs from 3:00-4:00 in the Black Box in Kent Campus Center with closing remarks following from 4:00-4:15.  Posters need to be picked up immediately afterwards.  If you cannot stay after 4:15, please make arrangements for someone else to pick up your poster.

Yes, presentations will be evaluated, and feedback sheets will be distributed to presenters in the weeks following the symposium.

Awards will be presented at the end of the day to students who have presented at the symposium for multiple years.

You are encouraged to practice your presentation before friends and your faculty sponsor. Be sure to time yourself. For specific questions about your presentation, consult a member of the Symposium committee.

Yes! Generally this would be under an “Awards and Honors” section of your résumé or curriculum vitae.