NARST Graduate Student Research Symposium: 2019 Call for Abstracts

Author: Francesca Williamson

At the 2018 Annual International Conference, the NARST Graduate Student Committee introduced a new program: Graduate Student Research Symposium. This program is a poster symposium created for graduate students to present works-in-progress at NARST, receive mentoring and feedback from advanced scholars in the field, and share work with peers and future colleagues. We recently sent the 2019 Call for Abstracts to the NARST email list to encourage members to share this new opportunity with colleagues and graduate students. For this blog, we share responses to frequently asked questions and highlights from the 2018 symposium.

What counts as “works-in-progress”?

The types of works-in-progress are broad so that a range of potential participants – first-year graduate students up to those working on dissertations – can have the opportunity to be matched with a mentor for formative feedback on their research at NARST. Examples of works-in-progress include:

• Literature reviews for future manuscripts or dissertations
• Papers describing research design and research question development for a current or future paper
• Data collection and analysis plans for a current or future research project
• Dissertation data analysis and writing
• Future NARST or other conference proposals

Current graduate students with research topics related to science and STEM education may submit an abstract. Membership in NARST is encouraged, but not required for abstract submission and conference participation.

• 500 word abstract (does not include references)
• Abstracts should include the following (as appropriate for the type of work-in-progress): Title, Subject/Problem, Design or Procedure, Analyses and Findings or Anticipated Findings, Contribution or Significance
• Upon acceptance, a conference paper for the work-in-progress (10-15 pages double spaced not including references) will be due mid-February

Who can participate? 

Current graduate students with research topics related to science and STEM education may submit an abstract. Membership in NARST is encouraged, but not required for abstract submission and conference participation. 

Where do I submit an abstract?

Abstracts may be submitted using this link: https://goo.gl/forms/7zRgMZYyMY9eK5UC2

Submission Guidelines:

Abstracts are due December 2, 2018.

What is the timeline for review and decisions?

Review of abstracts: December 3, 2018-January 15, 2019

Notification of decision: ~January 15, 2019

Conference paper due: February 15, 2019 (10-15 pages, double spaced, 12pt font, length does not include references)

How are mentors selected and assigned?

We recruit mentors using a mentor volunteer form and targeted invitations to advanced scholars who plan to attend NARST. Participants are matched with mentors based on similar areas of expertise, NARST Strand selection, and/or research approach. Last year we asked prospective mentors to select students they would be willing to mentor based on submitted abstracts.

Are travel funds available to support graduate students to participate in this program?

No, but the NARST Graduate Student Committee can provide required documents (e.g., notification of acceptance letter) to support an application for funding at your institution or elsewhere.

Highlights from the 2018 NARST Graduate Student Research Symposium

For the inaugural symposium, 20 graduate student presenters and 19 advanced science education mentors from 35 institutions participated. The acceptance rate was 46%. A few weeks before NARST, conference papers from graduate student participants were sent to assigned mentors for feedback. Graduate student participants met with their mentors in person at the symposium or scheduled separate one-on-one meetings during the conference.  

Kathryn Ribay, Stanford University (right) with mentor Cassie Quigley, Ph.D., Clemson University

                                              

Schetema Nealy, University of Las Vegas, Nevada (right) discussing research with another NARST graduate student.

                                              

Andrew Womack, University of Missouri (left) with mentor Jason Nissen, Ph.D., University of Maine

Comments from 2018 participants:

“I really appreciate the effort that went into planning this, and especially with the efforts taken to match students with mentors in an appropriate area. My mentor gave me very substantial feedback on my proposal and I am looking forward to incorporating this into my work - plus it was a great way to make a new connection with someone in my field.”

“This was an excellent opportunity! The process was helpful in providing opportunity for graduate students to not only prepare research for presentation but also to get feedback on the work by a mentor. I am glad this opportunity existed and hope it will continue in years to come.”

“Thank you so much for organizing a great meeting. It was the most valuable session at the conference.”

Additional questions? Email us at narstgradcommittee@gmail.com

NARST Graduate Student Research Symposium Sub-Committee

Amber Bismack, Margaretann Connell, Thomas Kameroski, Ayça Karaşahinoğlu Fackler, Francesca Williamson