This year, the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fair will be held in conjunction with the Accepted Student Event. The event will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, as we celebrate student engagement and achievement at Penn State Altoona.
This combined event brings together a wide audience and offers opportunities to share and receive feedback, network, and connect with members of our campus and broader community. While elements of the two programs will take place simultaneously, both events are designed to complement one another and highlight our college's vibrant academic and creative culture.
This combined event brings together a wide audience and creates meaningful opportunities for connection among current students, prospective students, families, faculty, and the broader community. While we recognize it will be a busy day, hosting these events together allows prospective students to engage directly with our current students, experience the depth of undergraduate research and creativity at Penn State Altoona, and better envision themselves as part of our academic community, and ultimately inform their decision to join Penn State Altoona.
Penn State Altoona is proud of its longstanding tradition of undergraduate participation in research and creative endeavors. The 24th Annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fair celebrates the outstanding achievements of our students in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, engineering, and the arts.
We look forward to welcoming students, families, faculty, and staff for a day of discovery, creativity, and connection! Additional details about the day’s schedule and activities, and the submission process will be shared in the coming days.
About the Fair
The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fair (URCAF) allows students to present the culmination of their work from a traditional research/creative activities experience, an internship, or a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). Students may present their work in different formats, including poster and oral presentations, performances, and exhibitions. All student presentations will be entered for disciplinary awards. At the time of abstract submission, students will also have the option to sign up to compete for the Penn State University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award and the Sustainability Award.
Submissions may be made in the following categories:
- Arts and Humanities
- Behavioral Sciences
- Business
- Computing/Information Technology
- Engineering
- Health and Life Sciences
- Internships
- Mathematics
- Nursing
- Physical Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Visual and Performing Arts
Featuring:
Penn State University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award
The University Libraries support undergraduate research by ensuring the students have access to academic journals, books, and other outside sources they need to be successful. We recognize outstanding student work through The University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award. Judging will prioritize and rank projects that showcase accomplished and exemplary information literacy skills.
Sustainability Award
The Sustainability Award will be presented to the student research or activity that directly addresses one or more of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Judging will prioritize and rank projects that show creative or novel approaches toward one or more goals, have the potential to raise awareness about sustainability issues or have the potential to positively impact and improve existing sustainability interventions. Applicants should include a sentence in their abstract identifying which sustainability goal is most relevant and any secondarily relevant to their project.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Award
Penn State is committed to and accountable for advancing equity, respect, and belonging in all its forms, including in the research context. Judging will prioritize student research projects that directly address DEIB or projects that concern disparities in groups defined by Penn State’s non-discrimination policy: age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas. This is not a monetary award.
For more information, contact Lisa Emili, Director of Honors and Undergraduate Research, at [email protected].