Math and Physical Sciences have department web pages dedicated to undergraduate research. A faculty and student committee helped them design the event. The president of undergraduate student council took the lead in recruiting student volunteers to publicize the event and to help with public relations media, logistics, and encouraging students to participate. Most of the funding and the staff support were provided by the Vice President's Office. The basic format of the 1996 Forum continues.
Students submit brief abstracts of their project and identify their faculty advisor.
Their work is then separated into broad disciplinary categories. Faculty are recruited to serve as judges. They receive copies of the abstracts and evaluation criteria. Pre-forum meetings are scheduled so that the organizers meet at least once with the judges prior to the event, to discuss procedure, responsibilities, and expectations. The student presentations are mostly in poster form, though some are multi-media and performance based.