R&CW Student Information | Research & Creative Works | BYU-Idaho

# R&CW Student Information

## Why R&CW?

During the Research and Creative Works Conference, students are given unique opportunities to showcase and learn more about academic achievements and exploration.

This conference provides many experiences for students, such as:

- Expanding your depth of understanding and knowledge in your academic field.
- Defining your academic, career, and personal interests.
- Establishing valuable connections with faculty.
- Gaining academic experiences that will help expand your resume.
- Developing critical thinking, leadership, time management, and communication skills.
- Exploring research and creative techniques.

## How to Register

On the Registration page, there are instructions for registering and a link to the online registration form. Please carefully fill out the required fields for each question of the survey. You will be asked to submit the title of your work and a proposal that explains your research and methodology.

The following is the proposal criteria you need to follow:

- Must be 50 words minimum, 350 words maximum. (This is not an essay detailing your work).
- Must use proper grammar and correct spelling.
- Briefly describe your work and what you will be doing or have done (or describe your hypothesis, if you have yet to complete your research results).
- Outline your methodology--how you got or will get your results and conclusion.

You will also find a place to indicate the type of session you want to be in (poster, or performing arts), the academic discipline that best describes your work, and what you plan to do during your presentation (PowerPoint presentation, perform a song, demonstrate a model, etc.).

****Student participants are required to have a faculty member as a mentor for their project.**** Mentors work with their students to guide and prepare them for the R&CW conference. The mentor for your project needs to be a faculty member on campus. Please keep in close contact with your mentor as you work on your project and prepare for the conference.

To edit your current submission, please email us directly. Please view our additional information regarding project types below to help clarify how your project should be classified. For any other questions or concerns, please contact us.

## Project Types

We organize each project into groups called "sessions. "Faculty volunteers are assigned in pairs to each session, and they serve as evaluators for the conference. Each session usually contains 5-6 projects, which allows the evaluators to spend an appropriate amount of time reviewing each project that they are assigned to. Listed below are the different project types:

Poster Sessions

Students submitting projects in poster sessions use a poster, display, or physically-built project (such as Mechanical Engineering, Fashion Design, or Art) to present their work. Students will have time before the conference to set up. Clips, bulletin boards, and standing easels will be provided to hang posters. If a project requires additional materials, they must be obtained by the participants on their own. 
Presenters will have the opportunity for evaluators, the public, and potential employers to view and ask questions about their work. Televisions or monitors are not provided for the students, participants must bring their own as needed.

Performance Session

The Performing Arts Session takes place in the Hart and is generally limited to music, dance, and theater performances. The public is welcome to watch the performances. After each performance, the evaluators assigned are given time to ask questions and comment on the projects.

## Preparing for the Conference

During the conference, there will be faculty members assigned to evaluate your project and give you feedback. The evaluators are selected by the appropriate department chairs. It is not a guarantee that evaluators will be provided. Evaluators will rank projects from 0 to 3:

- 0 - Just getting started
- 1 - Sufficient, needs some work
- 2 - Meets expectations
- 3 - Outstanding

Feedback will be sent electronically to the email of each mentor and participant that registered for the conference. Please share this feedback with the respective group members of each project (as needed).

## Conference Day

On conference day, we have a specific schedule for you to follow and specific booth spaces for you to present your work. This is set in place so that the conference can run smoothly. The schedule and map will be sent to you in an email about a week before the conference. If you wish to view the general schedule, please look at the Conference Info Page.