Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference

Originally called the Southeastern Undergraduate Research Conference, the Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference has attracted widespread regional interest and is committed to providing a forum for southern Appalachian students to present the results of their research in a convenient and interesting setting. Many of the schools participating in BRURC are affiliated with the Appalachian College Association. ACA is a non-profit consortium of 33 private four-year liberal arts institutions located in the central Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. BRURC typically rotates to one of these schools every two years. However, the conference is open to students from any university or college.

There are 3 types of presentations at this year’s conference.

Poster presentations consist of a large format poster (typically 30″ X 40″) set or mounted to an easel. Presenters should expect to stand with their poster for an hour-long session and answer questions of people who stop by. It is helpful to prepare an “elevator speech.” Multiple posters are displayed during each session, which is usually multi-disciplinary in nature.

Oral presentations will be grouped by discipline. Each researcher will present orally with a PowerPoint or other visual aids. Students should be prepared to present for 12 minutes with an additional three minutes for questions.

Technology demonstrations: In this session, presenters can demonstrate a technological device or similar STEM project. Examples could include robotics, drones, engineering projects, computer programming, botany projects, etc. Since demonstrations can take time and may include an interactive element, this session is two hours long. Presenters will be given indoor or outdoor space, a table, and/or access to electricity as requested. Presenters should plan to demonstrate, explain, and interact with attendees during the entire duration. If applicable, team members are welcome to trade off during the session to attend concurrent sessions.   

An abstract must be submitted during registration regardless of the presentation type.   Presenters should dress in attire suitable for a professional meeting.

Milligan hosts an annual campus research conference called Rise Above and since that conference is combined with BRURC, graduate students will have the opportunity to present in sessions as well. If you prefer, you can cite your presentation on your vita using Rise Above Research Conference as the venue, rather than Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference.

The process of registering is the same. Graduate projects will be combined into sessions together based on topic when possible. If there are no other graduate projects related to your topic, you may be added to a related undergraduate session. A prize for the best graduate project related to our conference theme will be awarded.

Theme Prize: The call for paper theme this year is Roots and Branches. This is a general theme by design so many projects and any discipline could be relevant (see Call for Papers), and thus eligible for a prize. You must indicate in your registration whether you want your presentation to be judged or not. A rubric will be used to judge entries. Initial judging will be based on your description of how your project fits the theme and your submitted abstract. Final decisions will be based on the quality of the presentation itself. A panel of at least two judges from your discipline will rank your presentation during the conference. Winners will be announced during the closing ceremony.

Door Prizes: Random drawings will take place throughout the conference among those checked into sessions. Announcements will be sent out on the Eventleaf app or by text message. Prizes must be picked up at same site as check-in by the closing ceremony. You must be registered as a student attendee or presenter to win.

The deadline for registering as a presenter, faculty moderator or vendor is March 10, 2025.

Note: All presentations will be accepted if a faculty member from an academic institution is listed as the mentor.

General conference attendance registration will be accepted up to and on the day of the conference.

Group projects are welcome but each person in the group must register individually.

Fees: There is a $30 registration fee for student presenters, faculty moderators, and vendors. Once registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation email with important details about payment. You may opt to pay as a group through the “institution” payment portal after registering.

If for any reason, you need to change or cancel a registration, please contact Shauna Crowe.

REGISTER NOW

This year’s conference will include a graduate school fair. Participating colleges and universities will be present to answer questions about their graduate programs. Interested vendors can register to participate in this part of the program using the registration form. The cost to vendors is $30 and will include a table.

The following information will assist you in making hotel reservations for visiting the Milligan campus. We have a discount for those attending the conference. For details and other information, visit our Accommodations page.