The UROP Sidewalk Symposium is a unique event format developed in Boulder that invites students to share their projects through colorful chalk art presentations during CU Boulder’s Research & Innovation Week. Students do not need to be UROP award recipients to participate.
Like last year, professional chalk artist Kyle Banister will be hosting a workshop and providing on-site assistance throughout the event; Erica Ursich, EBIO major and a previous participant, will also help students develop and execute their art. We understand this can be an intimidating concept for students who might not see themselves as artists, so please assure your students that this is something they can do—they’ll have wonderful help!
Feedback from participants:
“My Sidewalk Symposium experience truly came in handy when adapting to different audiences and not only helped me better understand the context of my research but the importance of presenting research to wider audiences.”
“I had such a blast participating in the UROP Sidewalk Symposium—What a great opportunity to combine my passion for science and art, as well as witness other students' projects!”
“I had a great time at the event. I even inspired a friend studying EBIO at Brown to host a similar event for their department.”
UROP Sidewalk Symposium
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Norlin Quad (Rain: Rec Center Lower Gym)
Registration required by Oct. 4 – NEXT FRIDAY
Call for Student Presenters
UROP seeks undergraduates of all majors, who have been working with CU Boulder faculty on research, scholarly and creative projects, to participate in the "Sidewalk Symposium" by creating colorful visual presentations of their projects (complete or in progress) using nothing but chalk drawn on the sidewalks around the Norlin Quad.
Undergraduates of all backgrounds and experience-levels are invited to apply using the form linked below. Those selected will need to be available for at least a two-hour time window (of their choosing) between 1 and 5 p.m. on October 16 to chalk “posters” on the sidewalk and share their work with those passing by. UROP will supply plenty of colorful chalk.
Students will be joined by expert chalk artist Kyle Banister, who will host a workshop and provide on-site assistance throughout the event. Kyle makes his living as a skilled chalk art artist and currently serves on the Artists Committee for the Denver Chalk Art Festival. Erica Ursich, CU Boulder undergraduate EBIO major and previous participant, will also provide on-site assistance throughout the afternoon.
Apply to Participate by Friday, Oct. 4
Get creative and consider including
- questions your project seeks to answer or raise
- thought-provoking or troubling facts, statistics, etc.
- interesting or surprising outcomes, conclusions, etc.
- diagrams of methods, relevant processes, etc.
- illustrations of biological or chemical structures
- drawings of mechanical components and designs
- excerpts (quotations) from qualitative survey data
- titles of creative or performance pieces
- historical timelines or the names of important figures
- graphs, charts or tables of significant data
- mathematical formulas, relevant theorems, etc.
- problems your project aims to address