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California State University Systemwide Student Research Competition

The California State University Systemwide Student Research Competition is an annual event that brings together scholars from the 23 campuses of our California State University system. The competition showcases undergraduate and graduate research, scholarship, and creative works by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments. Undergraduate and graduate student participants from all disciplines are judged by experts for their oral presentations and written abstracts. Students who compete in the CSU Student Research Competition can win $500 for first place and $250 for second place recognition in their session.

Congratulations to our 2023 student awardees! Award ceremony photos are now available!

 

Schedule of Events

CSU Student Research Competition 2023 Official Program

Friday:
10 AM - 12 PM Continental Breakfast
10 AM - 2 PM Registration 
12PM - 4 PM Student Presentations
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Student Event at Aztec Lanes
 
Saturday 
7:30 AM - 9:30 AM Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM - 12:20 PM Student Presentations
12:15 PM-1:30 PM Lunch
2 PM - 3 PM Awards Ceremony 

Competition Overview & Guidelines

Each project must be registered via the CSU Student Research Competition 2023 Competitor Registration Form by Friday, March 17, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. (PDT).

Students will present their work orally before a jury and an audience (presentations can have up to ONE co-presenter for a total of 2-person presentation teams). Students will compete by discipline category (for categories, please see below) and, where feasible, by division (undergraduate/graduate). Students will submit their work under the following disciplinary categories.

Scoring Sheet: CSU Competition 2023

Registration for all attendees

Each CSU campus appoints a campus coordinator and develops its own procedures for selecting student delegates to the systemwide competition. Interested students should contact their campus coordinator for more information. Only those students endorsed by the campus coordinator can enter the systemwide competition.

Student questions should be directed to the local campus coordinator. Coordinators for other campuses may contact [email protected] with any questions. If you have any additional questions, the San Diego State University campus contacts are Dr. Alicia Kinoshita ([email protected]), Alex Munoz ([email protected]), and Dr. Mark B. Reed ([email protected]).

Please note that everyone who is attending the event (campus coordinator, staff, student presenters, co presenters, and/or guests) must register using our link HERE.

Please note the following registration deadlines for attendees:

Registration for all student presenters will close on Friday, March 17, 2023 @ 11:59 (PDT)

Registration for all other attendees will close on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 (PDT)

The registration form HERE.

Disciplinary Categories:

  • Behavioral, Social Sciences, and Public Administration
  • Biological and Agricultural Sciences
  • Business, Economics, and Hospitality Management
  • Creative Arts and Design
  • Education
  • Engineering and Computer Science
  • Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences
  • Humanities and Letters
  • Physical and Mathematical Sciences

A written summary must be provided with each registration. Please provide the following components in the summary: 

  • The name(s) of the student(s) and the title of the presentation. 
  • A 1-page, single-spaced description of the student’s project. Please use fonts and margins that ensure legibility. 
  • Appendices (bibliography, graphs, photographs or other supplementary materials). These should not exceed 3-pages. 
  • Research that involves human or animal subjects must have appropriate institutional review. 
  • It is expected that a student will not make a presentation by simply reading directly from the written summary. 

Student presenters will have ten minutes for an oral presentation of their work and five minutes to listen and respond to juror and audience questions. All entrants may use audiovisual materials as appropriate, and presenters are encouraged to use delivery techniques that promote interaction with the audience. Entrants in the Creative Arts and Design category may present an audio and/or visual recording of a performance they have given or a work they have created. Their oral presentation should focus on the rationale and historical context underlying their interpretation of the material.

Each entry (oral presentation plus written summary) will be judged on the following:

  • Clarity of purpose
  • Appropriateness of methodology
  • Interpretation of results
  • Value of the research or creative activity
  • Ability of the presenter to articulate the research or creative activity
  • Organization of the material presented
  • Presenter’s ability to handle questions from the jury and general audience
 

Travel Info for Student Presenters and Accompanying Staff

Recommended Hotels

Public Transportation Information

Parking

Navigation

Juror and Moderator Information

San Diego State University will host the 37th Annual CSU Student Research Competition on April 28th and 29th, 2023. This system-wide competition will showcase research conducted by the top CSU students from the 23 campuses that comprise the CSU system.

We are seeking knowledgeable doctoral students,  post-doctoral fellows, and faculty from institutions of higher education as well as professionals from industry, nonprofits, or public agencies to serve as jurors. Jurors will be asked to review a 1-page summary for each presenter in their assigned session, listen to the 10-minute oral presentations during the session, ask questions, and work with other jurors to select the first and second place winners for each session. 

Event Dates and Times:

  • Friday, April 28, 2023 from 12 PM to 4 PM
    Saturday, April 29, 2023 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM

You can sign up for one or more sessions, but you must be present the entire time for each session you are scheduled.

Please submit a Juror Interest Form below and we will be in contact with you regarding session availability and times.

Judge and Moderator signup form

Judge Instructions

Judge Powerpoint Instructions

Moderation Instructions

Questions? Contact [email protected].

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

SDSU is the oldest institution of higher education in the San Diego region, with a campus and microsites in San Diego and locations in Southern California’s Imperial Valley and Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia. The highly diverse campus community has a student population of approximately 36,000. SDSU is included in the Carnegie Foundation’s Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity category. Established in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor degrees in 97 areas, masters in 84 and doctorates in 23. SDSU is a large, diverse, urban university, Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence. Our faculty, students and staff are committed to research, scholarship, and creative activities that impact the San Diego and Imperial County regions. Our campus community is diverse in many ways, including race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, pregnancy, medical condition, and covered veteran status. We strive to build and sustain a welcoming environment for all where access and excellence converge.