Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) 2024

Students should submit their abstracts through the FURC 2024 Abstract Portal by December 22, 2023.

To attend FURC, you must complete the registration and submit payment. You do not have to present at FURC to register and attend.

Consult your institution’s Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) prior to registering to see how your school handles FURC registration/payment.   

• Abstract submission is separate from event registration.  
• You may want to wait for the acceptance of your abstract before registering for the event.   
• To attend FURC, you must complete registration AND submit payment.   
• You do not have to present at FURC to register and attend (friends, family, and colleagues are welcome, but they must register to attend the event. Late and on-site registration will not be available). 
• Registration for students, faculty, and staff is $70 (FURA institutional members receive a 10% discount). Check the FURC Instituional Members tab to see if your institution is a member or visit the FURA website to learn how to become one.
• Registration payment for individual students (once abstracts have been accepted) and faculty can be done through the FURC 2024 Registration Portal.

• Register and pay for students through the FURC 2024 Registration portal by February 2, 2024. 
• When completing registration in the portal, you should enter in the requested registration information for each individual registrant, add all the individual registrations to your cart within the portal, and then checkout and pay for all registrants in one payment.
• The FURC planning team will contact you to confirm your institution’s registered participants.

Friday, February 16 

Location: The Adam W. Herbert University Center (Building 43)

Saturday, February 17 

Location: The John A. Delaney Student Union (Building 58)

Access the FURC 2024 program on Digital Commons. 

Dr. Heather Truelove

From Florida to Beyond and Back Again: A Research Journey in Conservation Psychology

In this keynote, Dr. Heather Truelove will trace her academic journey in the field of conservation psychology and highlight findings from her research program. She will describe her undergraduate research at UF and her graduate work at UNF, as well as her path outside of Florida, which included stints at Washington State University and Vanderbilt University, before culminating in a return to UNF as a professor. She will also discuss her research program which investigates the psychological factors that influence pro-environmental behavior. She will describe her research findings related to the design of interventions that are most effective at increasing environmentally friendly behaviors and discuss whether performing one pro-environmental behavior makes people more or less likely to do another.

Dr. Heather Barnes Truelove is a Professor of Psychology at the University of North Florida and a joint faculty member in the UNF Institute of Environmental Research and Education. Her research centers on the psychology of pro-environmental behavior. Dr. Truelove has published her research in widely respected journal outlets such as Nature Sustainability and Global Environmental Change and her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Dr. Truelove’s research has been covered by major news outlets including NPR’s All Things Considered, PRI’s The World, and The Washington Post. She also serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Environmental Psychology. She received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Florida, her M.A. in Psychology from the University of North Florida, and her Ph.D. in Psychology from Washington State University. Dr. Truelove completed postdoctoral work at Vanderbilt University in the Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment and the Consortium for Risk Evaluation and Stakeholder Participation.

Please note that Florida Undergraduate Research Association (FURA) institutional members receive discounted registration to FURC. Check below to see if your institution is a current institutional member before purchasing registration.  

If you are a student, check with your Undergraduate Research Office prior to registering to see how your school handles FURC registration.  

Are you a faculty or staff member who doesn’t see your school on the list? Email FURA at fura@floridaundergradresearch.org or visit the FURA website to learn about how to become a member.  

• Posters for FURC should be 48" wide by 36" tall. Vertical posters and posters larger than 48" x 36" will not fit on the provided poster boards.
• Poster boards, an easel, and binder clips will be provided to participants. 
• Poster check-in will be available on Saturday. Participants may drop off their poster upon arrival and pick up their poster before presenting. DO NOT BRING YOUR POSTER TO FRIDAY NIGHT'S RECEPTION. WE WILL NOT BE CHECKING IN POSTERS UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING. 
• Participants are responsible for finding their poster spot using the program as a guide, securing their poster(s) to the provided poster boards, and removing their poster(s) at the end of their session. 

UNF Students

UNF students printing their posters through UNF's Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) must pay for and submit their posters by February 6, 2024. Visit the OUR website for more information on how to print a poster for FURC.  

Each year, FURC hosts a graduate school fair in which graduate recruiters from across the country are invited to attend. Recruiters should be comfortable speaking about all their institution's graduate programs, including STEM, Arts and Humanities, Business, Medical, and Law. Recruiter registration for FURC 2024 includes a 6 ft. table (and 2 chairs) for Saturday's event, breakfast, lunch, and snacks. 

The graduate recruiter registration fee for FURC 2024 is $300. 

The University of North Florida  

Location: 1 UNF Drive Jacksonville, FL 32224 

UNF Map

UNF is about 20 miles from the Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) and is 1 mile from the St. Johns Town Center, which is a hub for shopping, dining, and entertainment.  

Recommended Hotels 

Courtyard Jacksonville at the Mayo Clinic Campus/Beaches 

Location: 14390 Mayo Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida 32224 
Rate: 137 USD per night (book by 01/19/2024) 

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Courtyard Jacksonville Butler Boulevard 

Location: 4670 Lenoir Avenue South, Jacksonville, Florida 32216 
Rate: 149 USD per night (book by 01/17/2024) 

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Hampton Inn & Suites Jacksonville Deerwood Park 

Location: 4415 Southside Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida 32216 
Rate: $149 USD per night (book by 01/26/2024) 

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Hampton Inn Jacksonville South/I-95 at JTB 

Location: 4681 Lenoir Avenue South, Jacksonville, Florida 32216 
Rate: $149 USD per night (book by 02/01/2024) 

Book Here

Additional Jacksonville Area Hotels 

The following local hotels are associated with UNF:

Additional Hotels

Logistics 

Is parking provided? Where can we park?  
Parking is complimentary for guests (this includes both vehicles and buses). On Friday, Feb. 16, if vehicles (non-buses) park in lots other than Lot 16 at the Adam W. Herbert University Center (Building 43), they will need to purchase a visitor parking pass from a kiosk (locations are included on the campus parking map) or via the Flowbird app.
Vehicle parking location: On Friday, Feb. 16, vehicles should park at Lot 16 (in front of the Adam W. Herbert University Center -- Building 43). On Saturday, Feb. 17, vehicles should park at the Arena Garage (Building 38), Lot 5 (tennis courts) or Lot 18 (Harmon Baseball field and Hodges Stadium). Please view the campus map for reference.
Bus parking location: For both Feb. 16 and Feb. 17, buses will need to park in the back of Lot 55 (by The Fountains housing) On Saturday, Feb. 17, it is recommended that guests are dropped off in front of the John A. Delaney Student Union (Building 58).

Campus Shuttle and Parking Map

Do you accommodate food allergies or dietary restrictions in the event catering?  
Yes, when possible. Please indicate any accommodations in your registration. 

Eligibility/Registration  

Can I present if I am an undergraduate student in a different state and/or country?  
No, student presenters must be enrolled in a Florida undergraduate 2-year or 4-year college or university. Additionally, dual enrollment students are not eligible to present at FURC. Recent graduates from an institution who are not yet enrolled in graduate or professional school by Spring 2024 are also eligible to submit an abstract and present their work. 

I recently graduated with my undergraduate degree. Can I present my undergraduate research? 
Yes, students who graduated within the past 12 months from a Florida college/university and have not matriculated to graduate or professional school by Spring 2024 may attend and present. 

I have not collected all my data for my research project, can I still present a poster with my research plan and anticipated results? 
Students at every stage of their academic research are encouraged to apply to FURC, if they have the support from their faculty research mentor. 

Can I present research not conducted at my home institution? 
Yes, as long as you are an undergraduate researcher currently enrolled in a Florida undergraduate 2-year or 4-year university, you may present research conducted at off-campus labs, REU sites, etc. Please list your PI as the faculty mentor of the project. This does not include dual enrollment students, who are ineligible to present at FURC. 

Can a student present two posters? 
Yes, but they must submit separate abstract submissions for each project.    

Can I check-in if I miss the welcome reception? 
Yes, the registration desk remains open throughout the two days of the event. Attendees can check-in anytime. 

Can I attend FURC as a guest (parent, relative, friend, or significant other)? 
Yes, the event is open to anyone interested in attending. However, they must register as a guest and pay the non-FURA member registration fee ($70.00). On-site registration will not be available for the event, so it is important that guests are registered by the deadline. 

I am a UNF student/faculty/staff member who does not plan to present at FURC. Can I still attend the conference?
Yes, however, you must register and pay the registration fee. On-site registration will not be available for the event, so it is important that all attendees are registered by the deadline. Please note that UNF is a FURA institutional member, so UNF attendees must register through the FURA-Member FURC 2024 Registration Portal in order to receive discounted registration. 

May I attend only one day of the conference?
Yes, guests and non-presenting attendees may attend only one or both days of the conference. However, registration rates remain the same.

Presenters  

What should I include in my abstract submission? 
Abstracts/creative statements are limited to 250 words, and should include an introductory statement, the approach/methods, any results, and a discussion/ conclusion. Only submit plain text – do not include any pictures, graphs, or special characters with your abstract submission. We suggest you contact your faculty mentor, campus Writing Center, or Office of Undergraduate Research for help constructing your abstract. 

My project has more than one presenter. Do we both need to submit the same abstract?
No, please only have the primary author complete the project's abstract submission. Co-authors may be listed on the same application. If accepted, simply ensure that both presenters who will be standing at the poster during the poster session individually register as student presenters via the FURC 2024 Registration form. All co-authors listed on the initial application will be listed in the final event program.

How much does it cost to apply to FURC as a presenter?
Submitting an abstract for consideration for FURC 2024 is free of cost. However, if accepted to the conference, all student presenters must register via the FURC 2024 Registration form and pay the corresponding registration fee. We encourage students to seek fee assistance and/or research travel awards from their home institution to cover the cost of registration and/or attendance. If your institution does not provide any form of fee assistance and/or travel award, the Florida Undergraduate Research Association intends to make a fee waiver application available to select students. Email furc@unf.edu if interested in applying for the FURC 2024 fee waiver. 

Are poster presentations judged at this conference?  
No, participants are not judged at FURC. There are no awards.  

What disciplines can present at FURC?  
FURC is inclusive of all academic research, scholarship, and creative inquiry across all disciplines. 

What size should I make my poster? 
The standard poster size is 36” tall x 48” wide. Materials used to hang the poster will be provided. It is highly recommended that all posters at FURC are printed through a digital poster printer. These are often available on campuses, please talk to your faculty mentor about options.  

Can I select what session I present my poster in, or is it randomly assigned? 
Posters are randomly assigned a time to be presented. We highly encourage all presenters to stay for all poster sessions to visit the other student presentations. 

Do I need to bring anything to the graduate school fair (resume, business cards, etc)? 
Students are strongly encouraged to bring copies of their resumes/CVs. The graduate school fair hosted by FURC is an excellent way to network with many universities across the country. Over 30 graduate school programs have participated at each past FURC.

What should I wear to the event? 
Comfortable business-casual or smart-casual attire is recommended for the two-day event. We also recommend wearing comfortable shoes, as some of the workshop spaces may be in different buildings. 

Any tips for first-time presenters?  
It is highly recommended that you practice your presentation with your faculty mentor, graduate students, friends, and/or family. Since this is a multi-disciplinary event, you should be sure to describe your project in language that can be understood by all attendees. Poster presentations are short – typically less than 10 minutes. Be sure to tell why your work is important and the “take home message.”