2008 SPOKANE INTERCOLLEGIATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The Spokane Intercollegiate Research Conference Committee invites proposals from interested students for the Spokane Intercollegiate Research Conference, to be held on April 12, 2008, at Gonzaga University. The conference is dedicated to promoting and recognizing distinguished, original student research performed in partnership with faculty or other mentors. All disciplines are enthusiastically encouraged to participate.
Conference Schedule, Saturday, April 12:
- presentations from 9 a.m.-1:15 p.m.; poster session 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
- luncheon with keynote speaker, 1:15 – 2:15 p.m.
- presentations from 2:15 – 5:00 p.m.
The Saturday morning sessions will be followed by lunch for all participants, their parents (or a guest), and their faculty sponsors. The luncheon will feature a keynote speaker and will be followed by afternoon sessions.
The Form of Presentations: There are two types of sessions:
- Regular Sessions (one and a quarter hours consisting of either three 20-minute papers or four 15-minute papers) that are proposed and moderated by students. Deadline: March 3, 2008
- Special Sessions (generally one and a quarter hours, but can be longer depending on the length and number of papers) that are proposed and moderated by faculty. Deadline: February 8, 2008
Students may choose to convey their research through a spoken presentation or a poster presentation, but the committee is open to other formats in exceptional circumstances. The presentations may be based on a senior thesis, a research project, work done for the Weyerhaeuser Younger Scholars program, McDonald Scholars program, an independent study, regular course work, a study abroad experience, a collaborative learning experience, or an internship experience. They may reflect work in a single field of study or be interdisciplinary in focus. The student's work must be of sufficient substance or significance that a professor would recommend it for presentation at a regional conference in the student's discipline. Only current students are eligible to make presentations. Students may submit only one proposal each. (A student submitting a collaborative project may not submit a second project.) If two students wish to make a presentation together, they should submit a single proposal with clear indication that both will be presenting. Faculty proposing a special session may submit only one proposal.
Sponsorship for a Regular Session: Before students submit a proposal for a regular session, they should request a faculty member to sponsor them and discuss their plans with the sponsor. By becoming a sponsor, the faculty member agrees to work with students in formulating and developing the presentation. The actual project, however, must reflect the student’s own work. Students should make every effort to give proper credit to those who have significantly contributed to the project in their abstracts, posters, and during their presentations.
Participating faculty must read each sponsored proposal and indicate that the proposal conforms to discipline norms. Endorsement of proposals will be indicated by the signature of the sponsoring faculty member on the application.
Sponsorship for a Special Session: A special session can be proposed by a single faculty member (or several faculty), but should be hosted by a research program (e.g., NIH, Weyerhaeuser, SIRTI, Murdock, Templeton, NEH, etc.) or an academic program (e.g. graduate, interdisciplinary, MBA program, law school, an academic department, etc.) By sponsoring a special session, the faculty convener agrees to designate a faculty moderator for the session and agrees to identify several—but not all—of the students who are delivering papers. For example, in a one and a quarter hour session, the faculty convener must recruit one participant from another college to present; in a long session (a session of two to two and a half hours), the convener should recruit two participants from another college (or other colleges) to present. On the proposal, the convener must specify the length of the session, the faculty moderator, and the names of the known student presenters.
Review of Applications: After the deadline for submissions, the Conference Committee will review the proposals on the basis of quality and will construct a conference program from the abstracts. Presentations should last no more than 20 minutes. Time for questions and audience responses will be provided at the end of the presentations. Students' presentations will be organized into panels. Each panel will normally have a common theme, and may well be interdisciplinary. Panels will run concurrently in various locations around campus. Posters will be exhibited together in one room, and exhibitors will have an opportunity to discuss their posters with the public. Please direct any questions regarding the suitability of a proposal or about the application process in general to Patricia Terry, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Gonzaga University (509-323-5522).
Selection Criteria:
- Originality: The student's work must be based on a hypothesis or thesis that is supported by original research, as defined by faculty in that student's discipline. The work must break new ground and not simply restate or synthesize what is already known in the student's discipline.
- Quality: The student's work must be of such a quality that a professor would recommend it for presentation at a regional conference in the student's discipline.
- Significance: The student's work must be of sufficient substance or significance that a professor would recommend it for presentation at a regional conference in the student's discipline.
The Application and Abstract:
- Please complete and print the application form below and attach an abstract of the proposal of no more than 150 words and written in the third person. All applications must be signed by the faculty sponsor. In addition, if the research involves collecting data from human subjects, approval of the Institutional Review Board is required before that data is collected.
- Mail or deliver a paper copy of the completed application form and abstract to
The Spokane Intercollegiate Research Conference
College of Arts and Sciences, Room 416 College Hall
Gonzaga University
502 E. Boone Ave.
Spokane, WA 99258-0089
Proposals for Regular Sessions are due on or before 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 3, 2008.
Proposals for Special Sessions are due on or before 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 8, 2008.
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