Presenter and Project Profiles of FURC 2024

Previous research on the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) has indicated that students generally found the conference a positive experience. Information about the conference attendees themselves and the details of their projects presented is more limited. This presentation presents the results of a survey study (n = 53) conducted at FURC 2024. Student presenters who completed the survey were more likely to identify as female (68%), have learned English as a first language (83%), not be a first-generation student (77%), be from the United States (91%), be receiving some type of financial aid (90%), and be majoring in either life (39%) or social (25%) sciences. Presenters were more likely to be third- or fourth-year students (31-38%). Most commonly projects were presented by a single student (68%), with most of the project being planned and completed by a single student (47%) outside a credit-bearing course (55%). Many students had been working on their projects for 6 months to 1 year (41%), and FURC was the first time they were presenting it (60%). Faculty mentors of projects were equally likely to be male or female. Nuances of the data and implications will be discussed in the presentation as will the continuation of the survey study at FURC 2025.