The students are required to go through a formal proposal process, including selection of a faculty mentor, development of a research project, composition of a formatted proposal, and a review process at both the school and college level. This program recognizes students who have made research an integral part of their undergraduate education. Students are nominated from each of the college's four schools. The nomination process and subsequent selection process provide feedback to the students regarding both the quantity and quality of their research efforts. The purpose of the conference is to provide an opportunity for students to present their research and creative accomplishment results in a public setting.
Students present their results either by poster or by oral presentation.
Students from the other regional colleges and universities are also invited to participate. The 2001 Conference was a success, with 49 posters and oral presentations, involving 49 faculty members and 67 students representing seven colleges and universities. The abstract books indicate winners and runners-up for oral presentations and posters. All senior students in the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology conduct team-oriented capstone design projects sponsored by industry. Students work in tandem with faculty and industrial representatives to formulate and implement solutions to an actual design or manufacturing problem.