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.