Present at MURC

Any UBC undergraduate student who is participating in or has completed their own UBC faculty-supervised research project can apply to present at the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MURC). Students from all faculties and programs are welcome, and presentations can be made individually or in groups of up to five. Students who present at MURC 2025 cannot adjudicate.

Student presenters can participate in 1 of 3 ways: 

• In-person oral presentations
• In-person poster sessions
• Virtual presentations

Presentations will be adjudicated by a mix of senior undergraduate students with research communication experience and graduate students/faculty members. Exemplary presentations are recognized at the end of the conference.

The MURC conference will take place on Sat, Mar 15, 2025.

MURC 2025 applications have closed. Check back next fall.

Before applying

Talk to your research supervisor

Talk to your research supervisor and get permission. As the nature of some research may be sensitive, this step is crucial and applications will not be accepted without supervisor approval.

Prepare your abstract

When writing your abstract, ensure it is kept under 250 words and accessible to a non-specialist audience. Use brief definitions, clear explanations, and concrete real-world examples to help readers understand the study’s focus and importance.

Reviewers of conference proposals read a large number of submissions to determine whether the proposed paper or poster meets the requirements of the conference. In order to support your learning, the MURC Review Committee provides feedback on each submitted abstract based on the following criteria:

• Clarity: Abstract is understandable to a non-expert audience.
• Quality of writing: Spelling, grammar, formatting, and general flow of the abstract.
• Methodology: Methods are clearly explained and justified.
• Findings: Findings, or expected findings, are explicitly linked back to the research question.
• Significance: The importance of research to the field and the value of addressing the knowledge gap is articulated.

Since MURC is not a specialized conference, reviewers will be assessing whether an interested non-specialist audience will be able to follow the abstract. Including brief definitions or explanations and using concrete “real world” examples helps non-specialists understand what your study is addressing and why.

You can also prepare by attending one of our Abstract Writing Workshops and/or Peer Review Sessions. 

For more guidance on writing abstracts, take a look at our tip sheet (pdf) and watch the abstract writing workshop recording, which shares key components of an abstract and how to develop it for an interdisciplinary audience.

Select a presentation format

Oral presentations 

You will discuss your research and findings, and you may accompany your verbal communication with slides. There will be a brief 5-minute Q&A session after your presentation.

Poster presentations 

You’ll talk about your research for a brief period of time, followed by a few questions from the adjudicator. You are not required to do a formal poster presentation. The general poster dimensions are 36 inches by 48 inches, and you will be able to get your poster printed for free if you submit it prior to Feb 28, 2025. Check out these poster examples.

Virtual presentations 

You’ll discuss your research and findings, you may accompany your verbal communication with slides. There will be a brief Q&A session after your presentation. As this will take place over Zoom, you must ensure you have a quiet space and a stable internet connection.

Select your presentation stream

MURC 2025 is introducing presentation streams. Depending on the nature of your research, your presentation will fit into one of six streams. The best presentations in each stream will receive awards at the end of the conference.

How to apply

Registration

Everyone who wishes to present at MURC must register for the event through Fourwaves. Please complete all registration steps to be considered.

Submission

After registering for the event, you (or a member of your group) must submit your presentation via the “Submission” page. Please provide your research supervisor’s contact information along with key details about your presentation. If you have co-presenters, be sure to include their names in the “Presenter(s)” field under “Submission Information”. This information helps to distinguish between different groups. Only one member of the group should submit.

After the application deadline, the MURC planning team will review your application and contact your research supervisor. Continue to work on your research presentation while your abstract is being reviewed. You will be contacted in early February with next steps and feedback on your abstract.

MURC 2024 applications are open from Tues, Nov 12, 2024 to Sun, Jan 12, 2025.

If you have any questions regarding the application, contact undergraduate.research@ubc.ca at least 5 business days before the application closes.

Important dates

After your application is approved

For Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MURC) presenters, preparing your proposal and presentation can be challenging. Attend oral and poster presentation workshops for expert tips and tricks on creating a compelling presentation. Access to the workshops will be available through UBC MURC’s social media.

Making your presentation

In preparation for your oral and poster presentations, workshop sessions will be offered that will allow you to learn more about presenting your research in a multidisciplinary format and to get feedback on your preliminary work. Presenters will be informed about the details of these workshops through email. You can also find the workshop dates on this page under the “Important Dates” section above. 

Whether you are presenting a poster or doing an oral presentation, you are practising a critically important skill in research: effectively communicating your findings or conclusions to an audience.

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