Each year, Florida State University’s College of Arts and Sciences provides $25,000 in travel-grant funding to give more than 50 of its students the chance to present their research at off-campus conferences. The funds, administered by FSU’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement, or CRE, allow undergraduate researchers to represent the university around the state and country while building their networks, learning about graduate schools and discovering career paths.

“This funding is often essential for students who could not otherwise engage in these conference presentations,” said CRE director Latika Young. “The funding has been particularly valuable for the CRE to bring a robust and diverse cohort of undergraduate presenters to the annual Florida Undergraduate Research Conference.”

The Florida Undergraduate Research Conference is one of the nation’s largest multidisciplinary research conferences, with students from all over the state converging to present research on an assortment of topics in a poster forum. Students attend presentation workshops, receive tips on graduate applications, and learn how to get more out of their research.

Every year, the conference offers an opportunity for undergraduates to explore a new city and university. Nia Harmon, a chemistry major at FSU, attended the 2016 conference at the University of Tampa thanks to travel-grant funding.

“I really enjoyed sharing my research at FURC,” Harmon said. “I was able to tour the campus, network with conference presenters and graduate school programs, and attend workshops focused on professional development.”

Luis Andrade, a biology major, learned about the travel grants during his time as a student and instructor in FSU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. Working with CRE, Andrade applied for and received funding to attend conferences two years in a row.

It was at one of these conferences that Andrade explored another of his skills: leadership. Along with other colleges and undergraduates, he helped form the planning committee for the first annual Florida Undergraduate Research Leadership Summit, which was held this past January at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

“It was a really cool experience, as it was the first undergraduate-run and undergraduate-attended research leadership summit in the nation, all created thanks to the ideas of like-minded students who came together and presented at one of the FURC workshop sessions,” Andrade said.

Travel grants support more than STEM majors. David Advent, an English major, presented his honors thesis at the most recent conference, held this past February at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Using the writings of Thomas Hardy, he developed a theory surrounding a growing field of study relating to ecocriticism and eco-consciousness.

FSU students won’t have to travel far to attend one upcoming conference. The university was just selected to host an upcoming session of FURC, scheduled for Feb. 26-27, 2021.

For more information about conference travel funding offered through the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement, visit the center’s website or email cre@fsu.edu.

Trish Birmingham graduated from Florida State University in May with a bachelor’s degree in humanities with concentration areas in English, art history and communication.