Sigma Xi
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Spring Student Research Symposium
The Sigma Xi Research Exhibition has a new name, but the event continues! The 30th Annual Spring Student Research Symposium will be held April 22 and 23, 2026 in the Library Livingroom.
Undergraduate and graduate students working on original research projects with faculty are invited to share their results in a conference-style poster session. Posters will be evaluated by judges and prizes will be awarded for the best posters.
Students wishing to participate must submit an abstract no later than 5:00 pm on Monday, April 6, 2026. Space for posters is limited and abstracts will be selected on a competitive basis.
Guidelines for abstract submission:
- Undergraduates and graduate students who have conducted original research with faculty are eligible. Projects that are required for a course, including capstone courses, are not accepted.
- The faculty mentor must approve the abstract after it is submitted.
- The abstract should be written for a non-specialist audience.
- The abstract must include the research question or objective, methods, results, and conclusions. Abstracts that do not include results will not be accepted.
- Abstracts are limited to 1200 characters.
Symposium details
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, April 22
Thursday, April 23
Information for participants
Three-part hinged display boards (40 inches tall x 60 inches wide) will be made available to the presenters for mounting posters beginning at 10 am on Wednesday. You will be assigned a board and location for the poster. Please organize your display so that mounting can be done using binder clips, not tape or pins. Clips will be provided.
You are expected to be at your poster during the poster session periods on both days. Your poster will be visited by three judges, as well as university students, faculty, and administrators. Be prepared to present your research to an audience of educated but non-expert visitors.
Lunch will be provided for presenters and judges on both days.
Prizes will be awarded to the two highest scoring undergraduate posters and the two highest scoring graduate student posters.
Last year's event
The 29th annual exhibition took place on April 16th and 17th, 2025. The exhibition followed the format of poster sessions at professional society meetings, and was held at the Library Livingroom. Participants discussed their work with the public and with judges, who scored posters based on the poster content, the poster design, and the verbal presentation of the research. The top scorers among the undergraduate students and the graduate students were awarded cash prizes of $500 for first place and $250 for second place.
Congratulations to our 2025 awardees!
Undergraduate posters
First place: Daphne Poirier, Chemistry & Biochemistry, “Redox Mediated Flow Batteries: Next Generation Energy Storage”
Second place: Linh Dan Nguyen, Chemistry & Biochemistry, “Developing an Ultrasensitive Biosensor Using Metallic Nanoparticles for Early Detection of Neurological Diseases”
Graduate posters
First place: John Augusta, Psychology, “Longitudinal Effects of Interleaved Versus Blocked Homework on Statistics Retention”
Second place: Maureen Otieno, Chemistry & Biochemistry, “Antioxidant Activity and Cytoprotective Effects Of Massachusetts Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) Cultivars "
The Exhibition was made possible by funding and other support from the Office of the Chancellor and the Office of Research Support.
More information
For more information, contact Dr. Tara Rajaniemi or Dr. Genevieve Kozak.