The Paper Trail UG Research Symposium

The Paper Trail is an online, open-community journal club. Their mission is to create an informal space for scientists to discuss recent, groundbreaking studies with people of all ages and backgrounds.


The Paper Trail Undergraduate Research Symposium will be held virtually on November 1, 2023. It is an opportunity for undergraduate trainees to share their work, with a particular focus on trainees from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM.

This symposium is for undergraduates who are planning to apply for graduate school* to share their research with an audience that includes professors looking to hire new graduate students.

*with the intention of starting grad school in Fall 2024

The event will include undergraduate research presentations, as well as timeslots for short lab overview presentations from faculty members interested in recruiting new graduate students. An event schedule is available on the symposium webpage.

Another goal of the symposium is to serve as an alternative to large society meetings that happen this time of year (e.g., BMES and AIChE) but are often difficult to attend because of any number of financial, personal, familial, or professional hurdles. There is potential for vouchers for graduate school application fees. Presenters will also be offered gift cards for lunch.

The deadline for abstract submissions is Thursday, October 12 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.