Register for S3

How to Register for the SDSU Student Symposium

Registration Announcements

  • Registration for the 2027 SDSU Student Symposium (S3) will open during the Fall 2026 semester. Links for registering on Whova will be provided soon.
  • We anticipate that presenter registration will close before winter break in December.
  • Judges, moderators, and general attendees can register throughout February 2027.

Registration Steps

Step 1: Create an Account

You'll be prompted to create an account on the Whova Event Software when registering.

Step 2: Complete Registration Form

On Whova, choose the "ticket type" that best matches your role at the SDSU Student Symposium (e.g., lead presenter, co-presenter, judge, general attendee). Fill out the registration questions for your role.

Presenters Registering Without an SDSU Email Address

The following instructions apply only to presenters without an SDSU email address.

Faculty Mentors should email us directly at [email protected] to confirm the eligibility of their students. This email should include:

  • The name and RedID of each student (if available).
  • The student’s SDSU email or alternative email if SDSU email is not available.
  • The student’s academic status (Matriculated, Alumnus, High School, or On Leave of Absence).

Once we receive the mentor’s email, we will verify the information provided and confirm eligibility for each student. We will reach out to participants directly to continue with the registration process and provide access to the required forms.

After eligibility is confirmed, participants will complete their portion of the registration form on Whova, including the RedID, SDSU email, and academic status questions. Instructions for each field are as follows:

  • When you reach the Academic Status question in the registration form, you will see four options (Undergraduate, Master's, Doctorate and High School Student). Please choose the one that best describes your current academic level.
  • RedID: If you have been issued a RedID, please use that number for this section. If you are a high school student working with an SDSU Faculty Member on research without a RedID, please type HS and your birth date (e.g., HS01011864 for Jan. 1, 1864). 
  • Student Email: Provide your SDSU email. If unavailable (for high school students or recent graduates), use an alternate email that your mentor has noted in the Faculty Mentor Outreach Step A.

Presenter Eligibility

Please check that you are eligible to present at the SDSU Student Symposium.

Matriculated SDSU students (students currently enrolled in SDSU courses) and students with an active sdsu.edu email address can register on their own and do not need their mentors to email us.

For all other presenters, please note that your SDSU-affiliated Faculty Mentor must contact us first to confirm eligibility and provide participant emails. This initial step helps verify participant information and allows us to coordinate with mentors directly.

  • Must be currently enrolled as an SDSU student (undergraduate, master's, or doctoral student).
  • Must have an SDSU-affiliated Faculty Mentor.
  • Eligibility for Awards: Eligible to receive cash prizes from the S³ awards.

  • Must have graduated within one year of the upcoming S³ (e.g., between February 2026 and February 2027 for S³ 2027) and still have access to their SDSU email address (usually expires one year after graduation)
  • Must have an SDSU-affiliated Faculty Mentor.
  • When registering, please select the option that applied to your most recent status (e.g., Undergraduate if you were pursuing a Bachelor’s degree). Note your graduation date on the form to confirm recent graduate status.
  • Eligibility for Awards: Eligible to receive cash prizes from the S3 awards.

  • Must be currently engaged in research with an SDSU-affiliated Faculty Mentor.
  • Must have an SDSU-affiliated Faculty Mentor.
  • Eligibility for Awards: Not eligible to receive cash prizes unless enrolled in SDSU courses.

  • Must be engaged in research with an SDSU-affiliated Faculty Mentor.
  • Must have an SDSU-affiliated Faculty Mentor.
  • Eligibility for Awards: Not eligible to receive cash prizes.

Registration Guidelines

Lead Presenters vs. Co-Presenters

As part of your S³ registration, you may include one additional co-presenter, or up to 4 additional co-presenters only if you select a theater presentation type. Here’s a breakdown of what each term means, along with important guidelines for including them in your registration:

Lead Presenters

Lead Presenters are individuals who are the main presenter responsible for delivering the presentation during the S³ Presentation Day. These individuals hold the primary responsibility of presenting the research or project, which includes all elements of the presentation. Including but not limited to presenting, answering questions, engaging with the audience, being the primary focus for scoring, receiving the award on behalf of the group, etc. Lead Presenters may list one additional co-presenter that can replace them in the event they withdraw after registration has closed.

Lead Presenters must provide email addresses for any co-presenter(s) when adding them to the registration form, so they can receive important updates and event information.

Please coordinate with all co-presenters before finalizing your submission to confirm everyone’s participation status and the accuracy of the registration information for the lead presenter and co-presenters.

A student can be Lead Presenter on only one project and abstract. However, there is no limit to the number of abstracts on which a student is a co-presenter as long as the presentations are different.

If a group's presentation scores are high enough to receive an award, award funds will be awarded to the Lead Presenter. The Lead Presenter may choose to divide the cash prize equally based upon the number of participants in that group but is not required to.

Co-Presenters

Co-presenters are individuals who will actively participate in delivering the presentation during the S³ Presentation Day. These individuals share the responsibility of presenting the research or project, whether through verbal presentation, answering questions, or engaging with the audience. Each lead presenter may list one additional co-presenter for oral, poster, or exhibit presentations and up to 4 co-presenters in addition to themselves for theater presentations.

If a Lead Presenter withdraws from presenting after registration has closed, only registered co-presenters are eligible to take their place.

When adding co-presenters, the lead presenter and faculty mentors should ensure co-presenters are fully aware of their responsibilities during the event, including being present on Presentation Day.

Presentation Categories

To help you identify the most appropriate thematic category for your research, please refer to the Presentation Categories on our S³ Presenter Resource Guide. This guide outlines each presentation category, providing definitions and example topics to assist you in choosing the right fit for your project. Choosing one of these categories helps us group presentations in similar disciplines together into sessions.

Presentation Types

The symposium offers a variety presentation formats to best showcase the diversity of student research, scholarship and creative activities. These formats include:

  • Oral Presentations (a 10-minute talk followed by 5-minute Q&A)
  • Poster Presentations (Accompanied by a printed poster, presenters have short conversations with audience members intermittently throughout an approximately 90-minute session)
  • Exhibit Presentations (Accompanied by more elaborate displays than posters, presenters have short conversations with audience members intermittently throughout an approximately 90-minute session)
  • Theater Presentations (In a theater, on a stage, present some sort of creative performance, e.g., a short film screening, a table reading, a visual or musical production within 30 minutes)

Please reference our S³ Presenter Resource Guide for detailed descriptions, guidelines, sample schedules and recommendations for each type. Please note the changes from previous event schedules and formats.

Abstract Guidelines

  • All entries must have an abstract written by the student and reviewed/edited by their faculty mentor. Mentors should not write the abstract, but guide the student in developing the abstract.
  • Abstracts should be 350 words or fewer. There is a 2,100 character limit.
  • Duplicate abstracts submitted by different authors will be automatically rejected.
  • Typically research abstracts contain the elements below; you should consult with your advisor(s)/mentor(s) prior to submission:
    • Hypothesis or statement about the problem or project
    • Statement of the methods (research that utilizes existing/secondary data sets is acceptable)
    • Essential results or outcomes
    • Conclusion or summary (initial or preliminary results/data are acceptable)
  • Abstracts describing creative arts and performances are encouraged to provide a short description of the piece with a summary of the process by which you created your work. Process is how you put what you have learned and researched into your performance or artwork. For example, a sculptor could talk about media, a composer could talk about musical influences, an actor could talk about rehearsal techniques like Meisner or Viewpoints.