BIG EAST Research Symposium
Saturday, March 13, 2027
Madison Square Garden in New York City (during the BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament)
Student Travel Details:
- Students will travel together from Indianapolis to New York on Friday, March 12 (alternative travel arrangements may be possible) and return to campus on Sunday, March 14.
- Round-trip airfare (from Indianapolis) and hotel accommodations in New York will be covered by Butler University, even if the student has presented previously at a regional or national conference.
- Participants will also receive tickets to the BIG EAST championship game the evening of Saturday, March 13!
The BIG EAST Research Symposium includes:
- 55 Research Posters (5 posters from each of the 11 BIG EAST schools)
- A pre-symposium networking event
- Recognition of the top individuals and teams; the individual winners are recognized on the court during the BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Championship game
Eligibility:
- Poster presenters must be current undergraduates at Butler University
- Students must be available to travel to and from the event with the other students and faculty judges (Friday, March 12–Sunday, March 14)
- Research projects must have been conducted at Butler University
- Faculty mentor must be willing to help the students prepare and practice their poster presentation
- The students must not have presented at a prior BIG EAST Research Symposium
Application Process: Deadline is Sunday, November 15, 2026
- For each poster application (which can have up to 2 student presenters), a single application should be submitted here.
- Each application should include:
- An abstract (200-word limit)
- A PDF of the poster (which does not need to be in the final form)
- A recording of the student(s) presenting the poster (5-minute limit)
- When recording the presentation, keep in mind that faculty judges at the symposium will come from various disciplines, so try to minimize field-specific jargon and explain the research clearly to a broad audience.
Applicants will be notified by Jan. 15, 2027
More information about the 2026 Symposium can be found here.
At the 2026 Symposium, Milica Nenadovich (Biochemistry major) earned third place in the non-medical STEM category; Milica along with Jason Garcia (Biochemistry major), Julia Harmon (Biochemistry major), Chase Nixon (Astronomy and Astrophysics major) , and Abbey Shafier (Biology major) earned 3rd place in the overall team competition.
Questions should be directed to Dr. Lindsay Lewellyn, Faculty Director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (llewelly@butler.edu).