The Week in UR - April 24, 2026

Happy Friday! Indeed, it is an especially happy Friday here at Tallahassee State College as spring semester classes come to a close and we all look forward to the slower pace of the summer months and, hopefully, a little time to rest, reflect, and recharge for the coming fall semester, which always arrives sooner than we ever expect. I always enjoy this season of commencement, when we all take a moment to look backward and celebrate the accomplishments of our students and our College, and join our students in looking ahead to the new possibilities their accomplishments have opened up to them. And so it seems like a fine time to do a little reflection on UR at here TSC, to look back at all that the UR Program has accomplished during the 2025-2026 academic year, and maybe to look ahead, just a bit, toward new opportunities that will be on offer for students returning in the fall.

One of the most consequential developments in UR at TSC this past academic year was the establishment, early in the fall semester, of OSPUR, our undergraduate research student organization. This is an idea borrowed from other higher education institutions in Florida, which has seen a sizeable network of similar such organizations emerge in recent years. Indeed, there is even an annual conference, the Florida Undergraduate Research Leadership Summit (FURLS), dedicated to UR student leadership statewide which, for the first time this year, TSC attended! These student organizations have become invaluable at higher education institutions across the state, with student leaders spreading awareness about research opportunities to their peers and, importantly, demonstrating how incredibly beneficial, engaging, and just plain fun a research experience can be. In short order, we got in place a highly active and ambitious cohort of student leaders, with President Moises Chacon, Vice President Sunny Thomas, and Secretary Mikayli Ingram serving as the founding officers of OSPUR. In February, they traveled to the Florida Undergraduate Research Leadership Summit at Florida International University, in Miami, that annual statewide conference of UR student leaders, to learn about best practices in UR student leadership and hone their skills as UR student leaders. Over the past year, they have led excursions to nearby research labs, including the High Performance Materials Institute and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, provided research workshops to their peers, and played an instrumental role in planning student travel to the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference.

Mikayli Ingram, Moises Chacon, and Sunny Thomas

TSC UR at the High Performance Materials Institute

Perhaps most important, our OSPUR leaders served something of a reconnaissance role by getting themselves selected as TSC’s very first presenters at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), held just last week in Richmond, Virginia. NCUR is the largest undergraduate research conference in the country, with just over 5,000 students presenting their research at this year’s conference. Presenters are selected through a blind review process carried out by expert researchers from colleges and universities throughout the country. Selection is highly competitive, and very few community colleges have ever been represented at NCUR. But with any luck, TSC will change that, becoming a permanent presence each year in this highly prestigious forum. Moises, Sunny, and Mikayli, I couldn’t be prouder of all that you have accomplished this year. There is little doubt in my mind that you have laid the groundwork for UR programming that will benefit generations of TSC students who come behind you. The three of you should feel incredibly proud of what you’ve accomplished.

Mikayli Ingram and a curious audience member

Moises Chacon, Sunny Thomas, and Mikayli Ingram

Moises Chacon

Another highly consequential development was publication of the first issue of the Tallahassee State College Undergraduate Research Journal (TSC URJ), the UR Program’s peer-reviewed journal of research carried out by TSC students. All articles published in TSC URJ underwent a rigorous peer-review process carried out by faculty with expertise in our student authors’ academic disciplines, so publication in TSC URJ represented a significant accomplishment for those whose articles were ultimately selected. And to celebrate that accomplishment, the UR Program hosted, on February 5, a Launch Celebration, where each student author was recognized with a certificate of achievement. We also had an opportunity to hear a brief synopsis of each student author’s research; recognize our faculty mentors, peer reviewers, and the TSC URJ Editorial Board; and enjoy some light refreshments at the end. If you haven’t had a chance already, I encourage all student researchers, faculty mentors, and friends of the UR Program to give the journal’s first issue a read at: https://journals.flvc.org/TSCURJ. As important, all TSC students who have completed a research project over the past year are strongly encouraged to write up their results and submit an article to TSC URJ. The deadline for submissions is August 30!

TSC URJ 1.1 authors, faculty mentors, and attendees

In yet another first, the UR Program served, alongside Florida State University’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement, as co-host of Posters at the Capitol, a statewide event sponsored by the Florida Undergraduate Research Association (FURA). Over two very cold days in January, students from higher education institutions across Florida traveled to Tallahassee to present research posters in the Florida State Capitol rotunda, demonstrating to state legislators, legislative staffers, and state agency personnel the substantial benefits that accrue to students who participate in an undergraduate research experience, particularly as it relates to developing the technical skills needed to keep our state’s workforce competitive. TSC fielded four presenters at this year’s Posters at the Capitol, one of just two community colleges ever to participate in the event. After their presentations concluded, the nearly 100 student researchers braved some positively biting winter winds to take a lovely photo on the steps of the Historic Florida Capitol before making their way across S. Duval Street to TSC’s downtown campus for a very fine luncheon provided courtesy of Tallahassee’s own Hopkins Eatery. The participation of TSC as both a participating institution and a co-host serves as one of the surest signs that community colleges can, and should, be the site of undergraduate research programming that is on a par with that offered by our university counterparts. Indeed, what surer sign is there when our students are presenting side-by-side with their peers from some of our nation’s great research institutions? Those who know our program well should spot a few familiar faces amid this crowd.

FURA Posters at the Capitol Presenters

But as exciting as firsts can be to report, in many ways, it’s every bit as important to hear about things that have become established and ongoing, and one strand of UR programming at TSC that we can now place firmly into that category is the opportunity for TSC students to present their research at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC). For the second time this year, the UR Program sponsored seven students to participate in what is now the second largest undergraduate research conference in the country. This year’s conference was held at the University of North Florida, in Jacksonville. A record 11 TSC students in total were selected to present at FURC this year, though we were able to sponsor travel for just 7, the rest having transferred to our university partners before the conference. Our student researchers presented their research alongside students from colleges and universities throughout the state of Florida, including Florida State University, Florida A&M University, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, the University of Miami, and other research-intensive institutions. The opportunity to present at FURC is one of the most significant benefits that we can offer to our student researchers, and I regard it as one of the most consequential developments in TSC’s scaling of UR over the past three years. Students who intend to be enrolled at TSC in Spring 2027 should be on the lookout for upcoming announcements about the opportunity to present at FURC 2027!

TSC FURC Presenters and Faculty Mentors

Capping off the 2025-2026 academic year for the UR Program, as always, was our very own campus-based Undergraduate Research Symposium, our seventh annual! Our annual symposium serves as a joyous celebration of the substantial efforts undertaken by our student researchers who, in most cases, work for an entire academic year on their undergraduate research projects, under the supervision and guidance of a faculty mentor. What is most gratifying to see is that, with each passing year, the work that our student researchers produce increases in its depth and quality, and this year’s symposium certainly saw the highest quality work on display. Without a doubt, this year’s symposium was distinct for the exceptionally high quality of student research that was on display, the result of an especially rigorous abstract review process implemented this year. Of the 110 students to submit abstracts, just 78 were ultimately selected, resulting in a field of presenters that was unparalleled for the sophistication of the work they presented. I invite all friends of the Undergraduate Research Program to give this year’s symposium program a careful read. It serves as a testament to the high quality of research mentoring to which TSC students have access, and to the exceptional work that TSC students routinely produce. Readers will also find a list of our award winners on page 3 of the event program.

Omar Canales and Audience Member

Colby Hayden

Dr. Anthony Jones and Amber Aguirre

And with that, having recapped the entirety of a most peripatetic and eventful year in UR, and spilling more than my allotted measure of pixelated ink, I do believe it’s time to lay this edition of the Week in UR to rest. Indeed, it is the season of rest, according to the rhythms of academic life, and so the Week in UR will take what I suppose is now its regular annual hiatus. But it won’t be that much of a break. Look for the next edition in early August, maybe even late July, if I get ambitious. Without a doubt, however, the UR Program will be back in full force come mid-August, with a high priority placed on getting every aspiring student researcher matched with a faculty mentor, so that every TSC student has access to every one of the incredible opportunities offered to student researchers at TSC. With that, I bid all current, former, and aspiring TSC student researchers; faculty mentors; and various and sundry friends of the UR Program at TSC a pleasant and restorative summer season, and I can’t wait to see, and share, what the 2026-2027 academic year brings for UR at TSC.

The Week in UR - April 10, 2026

Happy Friday! Indeed it is a particularly happy Friday, with much to celebrate, as we close in on these waning weeks of the spring semester. These foregoing weeks certainly are the busiest in the life of UR, both at TSC and all around the country, and this particular moment in the spring semester always brings much occasion to look back, reflect, and celebrate all of the good work accomplished in the preceding academic year. And so that is mostly what I’ll endeavor to do here.

Certainly the most significant event in these last few weeks in UR was TSC’s Seventh Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, which took place last Wednesday, April 1 (No foolin’!). Without a doubt, this year’s symposium was distinct for the exceptionally high quality of student research that was on display, the result of an especially rigorous abstract review process implemented this year. Of the 110 students to submit abstracts, just 78 were ultimately selected, resulting in a field of presenters that was unparalleled for the sophistication of the work they presented. All of our presenters should be very proud of the achievement represented by their selection to present at this year’s symposium, and I know that I speak for the entire faculty in extending you congratulations on this achievement. I invite all friends of the Undergraduate Research Program to give this year’s symposium program a careful read. It serves as a testament to the high quality of research mentoring to which TSC students have access, and to the exceptional work that TSC students routinely produce. It’s also worth mentioning that the symposium was just good fun, to boot, with students presenting a variety of work, in different presentation formats, and across all disciplines, including the fine arts! Here are a few images (Including some that move!) from last week’s symposium for your viewing pleasure.

Elise Ray Mohallil and Vivian Leeds

Bishal Ale and Samantha Hall

Arrista Corral and Dr. Joseph McNeil

And speaking of the high quality of TSC students’ research experiences, perhaps the best gauge of our impact is the incredible success that our alumni enjoy when they leave us for our partner institutions, Florida A&M University and Florida State University, both universities with high research activity. Certainly one of the highlights of last Wednesday’s Undergraduate Research Symposium was hearing from our alumni speaker, Musa Tumsah, at our closing awards ceremony. Within just a few months of transferring to the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Musa was selected for a prestigious research assistantship at the Center for Advanced Power Systems, one of our nation’s premier research centers studying renewable energy technologies. What Musa shared about his experience was instructive for students interested in continuing their research experiences upon transfer, and incredibly rewarding for all of us who had the opportunity to work with Musa during his time at TSC. Then, just this past Wednesday, I had the great pleasure of attending Florida A&M University’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, where I was delighted to hear presentations by two of our TSC Undergraduate Research Program alumni, Nickolas Harvey and Joi Monsanto. Seeing how they have both grown as researchers since transferring to a major research university is incredibly gratifying to see as a member of TSC’s faculty. They’re also two of the kindest individuals you’ll ever meet; even though they were busy presenting, they still spared a few moments to take a couple of photos, so all of us can see how well they’re both thriving as FAMUans.

Nickolas Harvey

Dr. Daniel Beugnet and Joi Monsanto

But wait! There’s more! And I don’t just mean more of this never-ending blog post. For all of our student researchers who just completed a research experience during the 2025-2026 academic year, there’s still one more research opportunity yet to pursue: Publication in the TSC Undergraduate Research Journal (TSC URJ), the College’s fully online peer-reviewed journal publishing research carried out by TSC students. While a conference presentation is an important means of disseminating research findings, and connecting with other researchers, it does have the disadvantage of being somewhat ephemeral. That is, it happens at a fixed point in time, and only those who attended will ever benefit from it. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal, meanwhile, is indelible. It creates a permanent record of your research findings that never goes away. And in the case of TSC URJ, every issue is archived in perpetuity, so authors can always link back to their publication, including in applications for graduate school, employment, and the like. TSC URJ really does represent an unparalleled opportunity for TSC students. Complete information about the submission process can be found on the journal’s web platform at https://journals.flvc.org/TSCURJ.

 

One final note on the way out: The Undergraduate Research Program will be working much more closely during the 2026-2027 academic year with other campus partners to expand and enhance research opportunities for TSC students. In particular, we’ll be working closely with the TSC Libraries, including their recently dedicated Innovation Hub. On the subject of TSC URJ, one aspect of the publication process that has bedeviled our authors in the social sciences is following the conventions of Turabian style. As an interdisciplinary journal, articles in TSC URJ typically adhere to the style guidelines that are most prevalent in the discipline in which the research was carried out. For at least some of the social sciences disciplines, that style is Turabian, a variant of Chicago style. Responding to this need, the TSC Libraries is offering a workshop that will provide, as succinctly as possible, a crash course in Turabian style. The workshop will be offered next Friday, April 17, from 12:00 to 1:00, in the TSC Main Campus Library. And free popcorn will be on offer!

That just about does it for this Week in UR. And I’ll admit, that is quite enough. But spring semester is always the busiest time in UR, so there’s always a lot to say. And we’re not quite done just yet for the 2025-2026 academic year. Indeed, I’ll be back in another week or two with still a few more exciting announcements to share, so stay tuned for that. Until then, I wish everyone a pleasant denouement to the spring semester, with thoughts pleasantly and perennially veering in the direction of slower paced days ahead.

The Week in UR - March 27, 2026

Happy Friday! It has indeed been an especially busy Week in UR for just about everyone involved with undergraduate research at TSC. Our annual Undergraduate Research Symposium is now just days away, and everyone, especially our student researchers, has been hard at work making final preparations. TSC’s 2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium will be held next Wednesday, April 1, from 9:00 to 6:00, at locations throughout TSC’s campus. The symposium is the final, culminating event of the academic year for the Undergraduate Research Program. It’s a celebration of the incredible work that our student researchers have done throughout the year, and I’m excited to share a few final details about next week’s symposium.

First, I want to emphasize that TSC’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium is open to anyone who would like to attend, including members of the broader community. Indeed, we strongly encourage anyone with an interest in research to come out and hear about the fantastic work that our student researchers have done throughout the academic year. What all of us want most when we present at a research conference is for an attentive audience to engage with our research findings, and we welcome all members of our TSC community, and the community at large, to be among our presenters’ audience members. Complete details about event, including the times and locations of individual presentations, and individual presentation abstracts, can be found in the event program, which is now published on our website: www.tsc.fl.edu/research

For student researchers presenting at next Wednesday’s symposium, I also want to reiterate that the leadership of OSPUR, our undergraduate research student organization, will sponsor, for the first time this year, a pre-symposium peer review session, where our presenters can do a trial run of their presentations, on the day before the symposium and in one of our symposium venues. Additionally, our OSPUR student leaders- Moises Chacon, Sunny Thomas, and Mikayli Ingram- will share some tips for success when making research presentations. All three of our OSPUR leaders have presented at multiple statewide research conferences, and they have much knowledge to share, which will be especially helpful for first-time presenters. This first annual OSPUR Pre-Symposium Peer Review Session will be held this coming Tuesday, March 31, in the Student Union Ballroom, from 3:00-4:00. We hope that all symposium presenters will be able to attend!

Finally, I just want to extend a special invitation to anyone and everyone who has contributed in some way to the Undergraduate Research Program over the past year (Even if just in the form of well wishes!), to attend the closing awards ceremony and reception for next week’s symposium. At this time, we will recognize each of our student presenters with a personalized certificate and award medallion, announce the winners of our cash awards and, most importantly, celebrate the accomplishments of our student researchers. There will be refreshments on offer for all attendees, and we especially welcome all friends of the UR Program to join us. The closing awards ceremony will be held in the Workforce Development Center (WD), room 105, from 4:30 to 6:00. A campus map is included on page 6 of the event program for anyone who might need it.

That’s about it for this installment of the Week in UR. I’ll be back in another two weeks or so with more announcements about exciting opportunities for student researchers at TSC, and news about the great work that our researchers will be doing right up until the final weeks of the academic year. In the interim, I very much hope all friends of the Undergraduate Research Program will join us Wednesday for the TSC’s 2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium!

The Week in UR - March 13, 2026

Happy Friday! And a joyous Spring Break to one and all. To say that the past few weeks have been busy ones in the life of UR at TSC would be laughably inadequate. And so I won’t say it. Because I daresay the English language is incapable of capturing the full extent of peripatetic energy that has been pulsing through the UR Program oe’r these waning weeks of spring semester. And I’m an English professor, so I suppose I get to have an opinion on these things. But spring semester is the busiest season in the world of UR, and for TSC’s UR Program, it has been the busiest yet. Like ever. So what is it that has kept our little UR alliance so active these past few weeks? Well, let me explain.

First and foremost, we are just off a fine jaunt to the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC), now the nation’s second largest conference on undergraduate research. This year’s conference was held at the University of North Florida, in Jacksonville. A record 11 TSC students were selected to present at FURC this year, though we were able to sponsor travel for just 7. One of the unique challenges of operationalizing UR at a community college, we’re finding, is that students sometimes transfer before they can access all of the research experiences we have on offer, which is, unfortunately, what transpired in this case. But of course, we’re proud of each and every one of our researchers selected to present at FURC. Our student researchers presented their research alongside students from colleges and universities throughout the state of Florida, including Florida State University, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, and other research-intensive institutions. And…after a hard couple days of conferencing, we may have also had a bit of time to enjoy some of the abundant natural resources on offer in Northeast Florida, which just happens to be my birthplace. Here’s our group at the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and Jacksonville’s Kathryn Abbey Hannah Park. A great time was had by all, as you can see. Rising TSC sophomores should be on the lookout for upcoming announcements about the opportunity to present at FURC 2027!

From left, Dr. Daniel Beugnet, Halden Euridge, Mikayli Ingram, Vanessa De Freitas, Kathryn Kofler, Moises Chacon, Sunny Thomas, and Dr. Joseph McNeil

Annabeth Norris

Halden Euridge

Annabeth Norris, Halden Euridge, Moises Chacon, Vanessa De Freitas, and Mikayli Ingram

And speaking of large undergraduate research conferences, you may have noticed I said that FURC is the second largest undergraduate research conference in the country. “And so what of the first?” One might ask. “And might TSC students have the opportunity to present there, as well?” Well. Let me tell you. The largest undergraduate research conference in the country would be none other than the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). And yes indeed! For the first time in these pages, or anywhere else, for that matter, I am at once delighted, elated, and positively overjoyed to announce that 3 TSC students were selected to present at NCUR this year, the nation’s largest, and most competitive, undergraduate research conference. Our three TSC presenters, Moises Chacon, Sunny Thomas, and Mikayli Ingram, were selected to present at NCUR through a rigorous, double-blind review process, carried out by disciplinary experts in the presenters’ respective fields. We’re all so proud of their incredible accomplishment. And so our three TSC NCUR presenters will be off to Richmond, Virginia, in the coming weeks, and you’ll certainly be hearing more about their experiences in a forthcoming issue of The Week in UR. Moises, Sunny, and Mikayi, congratulations on this incredible accomplishment.

And speaking of conferences (It is conference season, after all.), we’re gearing up for our own campus-based Undergraduate Research Symposium, which is now just a little less than three weeks away! TSC’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium will take place Wednesday, April 1, at locations across TSC’s main campus. This year, more than 110 TSC students were selected to present their research, and we’re anxiously anticipating their presentations. Selected presenters should be closely monitoring their TSC email accounts for additional communications about the symposium, particularly during the week of March 23, when a full conference program will be published. Additional information about presentation times and locations, and other symposium-specific information, will also be sent out during that week. And presenters should remember that required visual aids are due on Monday, March 23. Lots of resources are available on the UR Symposium webpage, linked below, and the video of this week’s visual aid workshop, sponsored by OSPUR, our UR student organization and embedded below, should also be helpful to presenters working on their visual aids.

https://www.tsc.fl.edu/academics/academic-enrichment/undergraduate-research/howtoparticipate/

 

That about does it for this Week in UR. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with some additional symposium-specific updates. Until then, I wish everyone a splendid Spring Break, even, or maybe even especially, if you’re putting some final touches on a research presentation. Because these things are really a labor of love, aren’t they? And what better way is there to spend one’s time. Nonetheless, I do hope all readers of this newsletter take at least a little time for some much-deserved rest and recreation amid this little interregnum that we get at this particularly frenetic time of the academic year. Happy Spring Break, everyone.

The Week in UR – February 17, 2026

The Week in UR is coming to you mid-week this week, but there’s good reason for that. This week is a particularly busy Week in UR, and now is the perfect time for some key updates and reminders.

Most importantly, the deadline for students to submit abstracts to present their research at TSC’s Seventh Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium is TOMORROW February 18! This will be the final call for symposium abstract submissions, so if you’re interested in presenting, you’ve got just over 24 hours to get your abstract submitted. Anyone who has carried out any kind of research at TSC over the past two years is welcome, and encouraged, to submit an abstract. Additional information about TSC’s UR symposium, including presentation formats, research project requirements, and resources to help with writing an abstract can be found, as always, at our website: www.tsc.fl.edu/research.

Another item to add to the final call category is the tour of the Mag Lab happening this Friday, February 20, from 2:30 to 5:00. This event is organized by the student leaders of OSPUR, our undergraduate research student organization. Once again, this is an exceptional opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, or Mag Lab, as it’s known around Tallahassee, a U.S. national laboratory and the world’s largest and highest-powered magnet laboratory, located just three miles from TSC’s campus. But registration is required, and registration will close tomorrow, February 18, at 12:00 noon. So if you’re interested in attending, make sure to get your registration form submitted stat. Here’s that link again: TSC Day at the Mag Lab – Fill out form

And about those student leaders of OSPUR…I just have to brag on them. This past weekend, three of our OSPUR officers — President Moises Chacon, Vice President Sunny Thomas, and Secretary Mikayli Ingram — traveled with yours truly to the Florida Undergraduate Research Leadership Summit, an annual conference of undergraduate research student leaders in Florida. The event was held at Florida International University, in Miami, so it was quite a commitment to get there! But it was a fantastic conference filled with loads of ideas about student leadership of undergraduate research programming. And the conference was organized entirely by UR student leaders, for UR student leaders. Needless to say, it was incredibly impressive. Our OSPUR officers came away with tons of ideas about how to grow research opportunities for TSC students, and I can’t wait to see what they get up to next. On the way home, we had the opportunity to visit the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum at the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, where Mikayli Ingram educated us about Seminole history, which just happens to be the topic of her research. It was all an unforgettable experience, and I just have to share a few photos from our travels. 

That just about does it for this Week in UR. I hope to see student readers of this newsletter at the Mag Lab this Friday. And I and my colleagues across the disciplines very much look forward to reviewing your symposium abstracts and, in just a few short weeks, hearing about your research at TSC’s Seventh Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium!

The Week in UR - February 5, 2026

At this busy time of the year for all things undergraduate research (UR), it would appear that Thursday is now the most opportune time to share updates about all things UR at TSC. Indeed, we’re closing out the week with two excellent opportunities for current and aspiring student researchers to learn more about research opportunities offered by the UR Program, as well as a chance for all friends of the UR Program to come celebrate the historic milestone that is publication of issue 1.1 of the TSC Undergraduate Research Journal (TSC URJ). And that’s just what’s happening in the next 36 hours!

First and foremost, I want to remind all readers of this newsletter about this afternoon’s Launch Celebration for TSC URJ 1.1, the inaugural issue of the TSC Undergraduate Research Journal. This event will commemorate publication of the first issue of TSC URJ and, most importantly, celebrate our student authors. The event will take place today, from 3:00 to 4:00, at TSC’s main campus library, room LB 265. There we will hear, briefly, from our student authors, and we will recognize each author with a certificate of achievement. We’ll also recognize our faculty mentors, peer reviewers, and the TSC URJ Editorial Board for the important roles they all have played in making publication of this inaugural issue of TSC URJ possible. The event will conclude with light refreshments and an opportunity for everyone with an interest in TSC URJ to celebrate this historic achievement together. This is a great way for students, and anyone, really, to learn more about TSC URJ. All are welcome and encouraged to attend!

A close second, in terms of important announcements, is a reminder that the deadline for students to submit abstracts to present their research at TSC’s Seventh Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium is February 18, just two weeks away! As a reminder, TSC’s UR Symposium is open to all enrolled TSC students, as well as those who have graduated in the past two years, and we strongly encourage every student who has carried out research at TSC during this time to submit an abstract. Additional information about TSC’s UR symposium, including presentation formats, research project requirements, and resources to help with writing an abstract can be found, as always, at our website: www.tsc.fl.edu/research.

For any student who would like a little extra help writing an abstract for submission to present at the annual research symposium, there will be an excellent opportunity to do just that coming up tomorrow, February 6, from 2:00 to 4:00, in MLH 151. This will be, among other things, a collaborative, student-led peer review and co-working session, organized by experienced student researchers, who are also the officers of OSPUR, our newly formed UR student organization. This will also be a great time to learn more about OSPUR and how TSC students can get involved. Finally, it will be an opportunity to meet other students interested in research in a relaxed, student-led forum. And there will be snacks! Along with lots of time to just socialize and interact with other students. All are welcome to attend!

One final announcement: The student leaders of OSPUR who, it has to be said, are an amazing group of student leaders, is now hard at work on their next student event. On Friday, February 20, from 2:30 to 5:00, there will be an opportunity for TSC students to tour the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, or Mag Lab, as it’s known around Tallahassee, a U.S. national laboratory and the world’s largest and highest-powered magnet laboratory, located just three miles from TSC’s campus (https://nationalmaglab.org/). Here, too, all are welcome to attend. But students interested in attending must register using the form below. The deadline to register is Monday, February 16. 

https://forms.office.com/r/p9DsTF0nmT

That about does is for this installment of The Week in UR, but there will be much more happening in the coming weeks. Keep checking back each week, or thereabouts, for future editions of this newsletter to learn all about the many opportunities to engage with UR at TSC. I very much hope to see all friends of the UR Program in the coming weeks, as we enter this our busiest, and most enjoyable, season in the world of UR.

The Week in UR - January 29, 2026

Happy almost Friday! At this busy time of the academic year, The Week in UR is coming to you one day early this week, primarily because we’ve got an exciting opportunity coming up tomorrow, and I want to be sure that both student researchers and faculty mentors are aware of it. There are also two additional UR-related events next week, so now is a good time to get the word out.

First and foremost, the Organization for Student Pursued Undergraduate Research (OSPUR), our undergraduate research student organization, will host TSC’s first annual Research Mentoring Fair tomorrow, January 30, from 2:00 to 4:00, in the Student Union Ballroom. One of the most important requirements for students wishing to participate in TSC’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, or any of the UR Program’s other research opportunities, is for students to secure a faculty mentor to supervise their research. Tomorrow’s event will provide students with an opportunity to interact with research mentors, and maybe even secure a mentor that very day. Attendees will also have an opportunity to hear more about the UR Program, OSPUR, and how TSC students can get involved in undergraduate research at TSC. All are welcome to attend!

Next week will bring even more opportunities for the TSC community to learn about undergraduate research and celebrate our student researchers. Next Thursday, February 5, from 3:00-4:00, in the TSC Library, room 265, the Editorial Board of the TSC Undergraduate Research Journal (TSC URJ) will host a launch party to celebrate publication of TSC URJ 1.1, the first issue of the College’s peer-reviewed journal of student research. Few other community colleges, if any, have managed to launch a true peer-reviewed journal of student research. Needless to say, this represents a significant accomplishment for the College, and most especially for our student authors. As with all of our events, all are welcome to attend, and we very much encourage all student researchers, research mentors, and sundry friends of the UR Program to help us celebrate the accomplishments of our student authors.

Finally, OSPUR will host yet another event next Friday, February 6, from 2:00 to 4:00, in room MLH 151, to help fellow students in preparing abstracts for the upcoming Undergraduate Research Symposium. The deadline for students to submit an abstract to present their research at TSC’s Seventh Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium is Wednesday, February 18. This is one of the best ways for students to get involved in undergraduate research, and the event next Friday is a great way to learn more about it. Additional information about TSC’s UR symposium, including presentation formats, research project requirements, and resources to help with writing an abstract can be found, as always, on our website: www.tsc.fl.edu/research.

One final note of celebration to share: Four TSC students, Moises Chacon, Sunny Thomas, Mikayli Ingram, and Antares Jonstar Ciotti, were selected to participate in FURA Posters at the Capitol this past Tuesday, January 27, presenting research posters in the Florida State Capitol rotunda. TSC was one of just two Florida College System institutions to have ever participated. This statewide event, sponsored by the Florida Undergraduate Research Association (FURA), drew students from higher education institutions throughout the state of Florida. Its purpose was to demonstrate to Florida lawmakers the value of investing in undergraduate research as a best practice capable of engaging undergraduate students in learning the high-level technical skills needed to develop the state’s workforce. We’re so proud of our four student presenters!

That’s it for this week. The Week in UR will be back, in the next week or two, with another rundown of all things UR at TSC. I hope all readers of this newsletter will consider joining us for one or more of our upcoming events this week. There is much to choose from! And with frigid temperature holding tight to the Florida Panhandle, isn’t this a great time to be indoors, sharing good company and talking about research? I hope you’ll decide to do just that.