From Campus to Center Stage: Presenting Undergraduate Research at a National Conference

I never anticipated conducting a large scale research project during my college years. In my mind, that type of "research" applied to the Science schools and involved chemicals and scary looking hazmat type suits. Additionally, I didn’t realize that within my Business major studies and minor in the creative and cultural industries, there were many opportunities for research.

My perspective on the subject completely changed when in fall 2022 professor Dr. Patrick Fuery, approached myself and fellow CCI 305 students Marissa Thompson, and Rebecca Day with an exciting research opportunity. Our class had recently developed and tested the Dream Machine, a device conceived of and constructed with the intent of inducing hallucinations for the study of individual experiences and perceptions. Dr. Fuery encouraged us to present our findings at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) - the largest undergraduate research conference in the country put on by the Council of Undergraduate Research. This opportunity opened my eyes to the possibilities for research within my areas of study, and I was thrilled to delve deeper into this exciting project.

After receiving the acceptance letter in late January, Marissa, Rebecca and I had a tight timeline of only three months to secure funding, complete our research, analyze the data, and condense all our findings into a 20-minute oral presentation. To call this task challenging would be an understatement, however, our commitment and dedication to the project was apparent from the start. We met regularly as a group to discuss our progress and sought feedback from our professor and peers to improve our work. We also conducted additional research, reviewed scholarly articles, and revised our presentation several times to ensure that our work was at the level required for presenting at a national research conference. After weeks of hard work synthesizing data, and refining our work, we were ready to present our findings at the conference.

Photo of the Dream Machine Researchers and Co-Presenters, Pamela Coelho, Marissa Thompson, and Rebecca Day after completing their presentation. Photo courtesy of Pamela Coelho

Fast forward to April 12th, the day we arrived at the hosting institution: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. We immediately headed to our presentation hall. Our primary goal was to familiarize ourselves with the room's layout, equipment, and technical details, ensuring that we were comfortable with the set-up and delivery of our presentation. We dedicated an intensive three-hour block to rehearsing, fine-tuning our speaking parts, making numerous corrections, reviewing our slides, and practicing our delivery until we felt confident about our presentation. All of our hard work finally paid off when on Thursday, April 13th we finally had the opportunity to give our presentation to an audience of fifty undergraduate students and professors from universities attending the conference from all over the US and Canada. Though it was a nerve-wracking experience after the initial jitters passed we delivered a presentation that garnered both positive audience feedback to the research and great interest in our both our study and research process. All three of us found the compliments, comments and questions to be both motivating and validating. We felt proud of our achievements and grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a prestigious conference.

Following our presentation, we had the opportunity to attend various presentations and met with other college presenters from such institutions as the University of Oklahoma and the University of South Florida, to name just a few The conference was an exciting opportunity to witness the kind of research that other students were conducting across a multitude of disciplines such as music, gaming, film, literature, and science. We found it intriguing to see just how unique each research topic was and experience the diversity and breadth of the research that was being done by students our age and younger.

Photo of some of the shops in Downtown Eau Claire. Photo Courtesy of Pamela Coelho

After a few hours of exploring the campus, we decided to expand our adventure and check out the delightful small town of Eau Claire. We were thrilled to uncover a variety of local shops, cafes, and restaurants in the area, ranging from charming boutiques to cozy eateries. Naturally, we couldn't leave without trying some cheese curds. While strolling down the main street, we unexpectedly stumbled upon the largest sculpture tour in the country, featuring over seventy distinct sculptures. According to their website, The Sculpture Tour aims to enhance the community's quality of life through accessible public art and welcomes artists of all levels and backgrounds to participate. It was fascinating to see how the local community is embracing and supporting the creative and cultural industries to drive tourism in a small town like Eau Claire. We thoroughly enjoyed immersing ourselves in the town's welcoming and friendly atmosphere and indulging in local delicacies, including cheesy brussel sprouts (it sounds interesting but they were AMAZING!!!) and homemade ice cream. Our visit to Eau Claire was an unforgettable adventure that enriched our appreciation of small-town charm and cultural diversity.

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Pictured: Photos of a few of the statues displayed as part of the Eau Claire Sculpture Tour and photos inside a local homemade craft shop in the city's downtown.

Our overall experience at NCUR is an experience that I will never forget and will always cherish. It opened my eyes to the vast possibilities for research within my areas of study and showed me that research can be an exciting and fulfilling experience, not intimidating or unattainable. The opportunity to present our findings at such a prestigious conference was a highlight of my college experience, and I am grateful for the guidance and support of our professor Patrick Fuery and peers. The conference also allowed us to connect with other undergraduate researchers from across the country, further broadening our horizons and inspiring us to continue pursuing research in the future. Finally, our visit to Eau Claire was the perfect way to cap off our adventure, highlighting the importance of supporting and promoting the creative and cultural industries to enrich our lives and communities. Overall, this experience was a defining moment in my college career, and I look forward to exploring more opportunities for research and creative discovery in the future.