Each year undergraduate students of Columbia University (CC, SEAS and GS students) are invited to present their research in poster format at a symposium held during the Fall semester. Originally started as an event to showcase the science research of the Columbia College Rabi Scholars, the symposium now includes research projects from all disciplines.
The Undergraduate Research Symposium 2025 will take place in mid-to-late October, with the exact date to be announced soon! To submit an application to participate in the 2025 Symposium, please click here. The application is due on Thursday, September 4, 2025.
Please note, you must be a current undergraduate in Columbia College, SEAS, or the School of General Studies to participate in this Symposium.
To learn more about the Symposium, please browse the "FAQs" tab. You'll find information about undergraduate student research at past Symposia in the "Past Symposia Abstract Booklets" tab.
Past Symposia Abstract Booklets
Read about research projects from past symposia in the booklets below.
2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium
2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium
2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium
2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium
2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium
2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium | 2019 Engineering & Science Research Symposium
2018 Undergraduate Science & Engineering Showcase | 2018 Engineering & Science Research Symposium
2017 Undergraduate Science & Engineering Showcase | 2017 Engineering & Science Research Symposium
2016 Undergraduate Science & Engineering Showcase | 2016 Engineering & Science Research Symposium
2015 Undergraduate Science & Engineering Showcase | 2015 Engineering & Science Research Symposium
2014 Undergraduate Science and Engineering Showcase | 2014 Engineering & Science Research Symposium
2013 Science Research Symposium | 2013 Engineering & Science Research Symposium
2012 Science Research Symposium | 2012 Engineering & Science Research Symposium
2011 Science Research Symposium
2010 Science Research Symposium
2009 Science Research Symposium
2008 Science Research Symposium
2007 Science Research Symposium
Annual Poster Competition Recipients
2024
Humanities and the Arts
- First Place: Sabaa Ahmed CC'26
- Honorable Mention: Gabriella Montalvo CC'25
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- First Place: Michelle Aude CC'25
- Honorable Mention: Alejandro Cacho CC'26
Social Sciences
- First Place: Laila Abed CC'27
- Honorable Mention: Madeleine Cesaretti CC'25
2023
Humanities and the Arts
- First Place: Eli Andrade CC'24
- Honorable Mention: Aristotle X CC'25
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- First Place: Jackie Li CC'24
- Honorable Mention: Ratna Sharma SEAS'25
Social Sciences
- First Place: Luiza Vilanova CC'24
- Honorable Mention: Xavier Amaro CC'25
2022
Humanities and the Arts
- First Place: Eli Andrade CC'24
- Honorable Mention: Fatima Ahmad CC'25
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- First Place: Ratna Sharma SEAS'25
- Honorable Mention: Isabelle Seckler CC'23
Social Sciences
- First Place: Claire Choi CC'23
- Honorable Mention: Hanes Rosenau CC'24
2021
Humanities and the Arts
- First Place: Adiba Hussain BC'23, Bethel Adiele CC'23, and Mansi Garneni CC'23
- Honorable Mention: Clemente Antuña CC'23
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- First Place: Avi Adler CC'24
- Honorable Mention: Ana Carolina Oliveira CC'23
Social Sciences
- First Place: Luiza Diniz Vilanova CC'24
- Honorable Mention: Vanessa Hoi Wan Ho CC'22
2020
Humanities and the Arts
- First Place: Paul Hanna CC'23
- Honorable Mention*: Helen Ruger CC'22
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- First Place: Nicole Liberman CC'21
- Honorable Mention*: Columbia Space Initiative Biomedical Microgravity Project (Members: Cole Allan SEAS’21, Luke D'Cruz SEAS’21, Sabrina Gjerswold-Selleck SEAS’21, Nathalie Hager SEAS’21 and Christopher Mendell GS’23)
Social Sciences
- First Place: Makena Binker Cosen CC'21
- Honorable Mention*: Kate Marsh CC'23
*Please note, honorable mention was added in 2020.
2019
Humanities and the Arts
- First Place: Helen Ruger CC'22
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- First Place: Yasmine Raya Ayman CC'21
Social Sciences
- First Place: Greg Humphries CC'20
FAQs
Below are some commonly asked questions about the symposium. If you have additional questions not listed below please email them to ugrad-urf@columbia.edu.
When does the Undergraduate Research Symposium take place?
The Undergraduate Research Symposium takes place annually on the Friday of Columbia’s Homecoming Weekend, which is in mid-late October each year. The exact date and time and updated in later summer on the URF’s Research Symposium page.
Who participates in the Undergraduate Research Symposium?
If you received summer research funding through Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, you are required to participate in the Symposium, although all Columbia undergraduate who undertook summer research are welcome to participate. This includes scholars programs (Rabi Scholars, Laidlaw Scholars, Humanities Research Scholars, etc.) and students who received funding through our summer research fellowships.
When do I need to submit materials for the Undergraduate Research Symposium?
You need to submit your abstract and the Research Symposium Application by the deadline provided. Your research poster and any other required materials are due on the last Thursday of September. In order to participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium all required materials must be submitted by these deadlines. The link to the current Research Symposium Application will always be posted on the URF’s Research Symposium page found here. All required materials should be sent via email to ugrad-urf@columbia.edu.
You can also find links to helpful guidelines to help students with poster design and developing their abstract on that same webpage.
I didn't receive funding through URF. Can I still participate?
All undergraduates in the Columbia community (CC, GS, SEAS) who conducted summer or academic year research are welcome to participate, and all participants will be considered for the best poster prize competition. In order to participate, you'll need to follow the instructions above and submit the requested materials by the indicated date.
I've never been to a research symposium before. How does it work?
When this event takes place in person, each student is assigned a bulletin board where they attach their poster. Visitors--faculty, staff, students, community members and family, are free to meander and view your posters. Students typically stand near their posters so that they can answer questions and expand upon the research "snapshot" that is provided in the poster to interested passers by.
I've never made a poster before, what does it consist of?
Academic posters are frequently used in STEM fields to present research, and are becoming increasingly common modes of presentation in humanities and social science research as well. In essence, a poster is a concise, visual summary of the research you have conducted. It is meant to generate discussion and conversation, which is why you should stand nearby to interact with viewers. For the purposes of our Symposium, you should design your poster as a one slide PowerPoint. Here are guidelines to poster design that may be useful to you, and here is a PowerPoint that gives a broader overview to developing great posters.
How many words in an abstract?
Your abstract should be at least 200 but no more than 250 words in length. This abstract will be published and it is intended for a general audience (please avoid jargon!).
How to write an abstract?
An abstract provides a description of the essence of your project, thus allowing the reader to decide if they want to stop by to view your poster. Your abstract should thus provide the following: the context or general background necessary to understand your project; your research question and/or the problem you are addressing; the rationale for this question (are you filling a gap in knowledge? Are you considering a new approach to examining a question? Do you have new data you are applying? etc.); the methodologies you use in your research; the findings/results/ argument of your research; and finally (but very important!) your abstract should clearly state the significance of your research.
Can I submit my abstract/poster before the deadline?
Absolutely!
What are the benefits of giving a poster presentation?
Not only is the poster presentation a great resume builder, but it helps build critical communication skills by giving you experience presenting your research to a broad audience. In addition, it’s an opportunity to share your findings and your research experience with the Columbia community. You’ll inspire other students to pursue research, and have opportunities to engage with other researchers and to learn from them and their experiences as well.
How does the best poster prize competition work?
Student participants are automatically entered into the poster competition. The best poster(s) are selected via popular vote. All symposium participants and those who attend the event are eligible to vote. The winning posters receive a small prize, and have their names added to the list of past recipients on the URF’s Research Symposium page.
Can we participate as a group?
Yes, students can submit their research as a group but please note the following:
All members of the group must complete the Research Symposium Application.
Please identify one member who will be submitting all required materials including the abstract and poster (we only need one copy of the required materials.) This person should list ALL members of the group under “Optional Additional Information” on the application form.
Other members should list the name of the group lead (the person submitting all materials) under the “Abstract” section of the application. All the other information on the application should be completed as normal.
Who is eligible to participate in the Symposium?
Due to space constraints, participation is limited to currently enrolled students in CC, SEAS, and GS.
I've never created a poster before...any suggestions about how to get started?
Yes, check out these resources for poster design: