Submission guidelines
Prepare to participate in Academic Showcase – abstracts must be submitted by Jan. 22nd, 2025
Who can participate
Academic Showcase welcomes participation of the following individuals from WSU:
- faculty
- Extension scientists
- research fellows
- educators
- staff
- post-doctoral students
- graduate/professional students from all campuses (faculty/staff co-author or sponsor required)
What to submit
To be considered for participation in Academic Showcase, you will need to provide an abstract summarizing your research, scholarship, or creative work (See requirements below.)
Abstract requirements
You may present only one abstract as a primary or presenting author. Your abstract must adhere to the following guidelines:
- 250-word limit (strictly enforced)
- Written for an educated lay audience
If you have an existing poster containing an abstract of a highly technical nature, that abstract may remain as part of your presentation. However, for this event the submitted abstract should be written for a general audience and free of jargon. - Demonstrate work that is of scientific, scholarly, or creative significance
- Describe original research, scholarship, or creative activity
For creative projects: The creative endeavor must be clearly described in the abstract. Methods used to accomplish the creative activity must be described and any program notes that help put the creative endeavor or process into perspective should be included.
For scientific projects: A goal or hypothesis for the project must be clearly stated, results summarized, and a conclusion reached. - Reflect completed work
Abstracts that propose future work are not acceptable. If work is still in progress (a likely scenario), the abstract should report on what has been done so far. Your abstract may indicate “next steps” as long as the completed steps are clearly described. - Represent work completed for or at Washington State University
If you are a student, you must include the name of a WSU faculty member as a sponsor or co-author. You should not submit work completed during internships affiliated with non-Washington State University organizations. - Represent recent work not previously presented at a WSU Showcase event
You may enter a project previously presented at a professional conference within the last year.
You may not enter a project presented at a previous WSU Academic Showcase or GPSA Research Exposition (formerly Wiley) event.
Abstract samples
When writing your abstract, refer to these examples.
Additional examples can be found among the 2020 abstracts. Be advised that abstracts for GPSA Research Exposition follow different formatting requirements.
Poster sessions for WSU students
If you are a WSU student, see if you qualify to participate in one of the following poster sessions instead of Academic Showcase.
Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) Research Exposition
If you are a WSU graduate or professional student, you are eligible to submit an abstract and presentation to Academic Showcase. However, if you are enrolled on the Pullman campus, you may prefer to participate in GPSA Research Exposition to compete for scholarships.
If you apply directly to GPSA Research Exposition and are not accepted, you will be included in Academic Showcase, provided that you adhere to the guidelines and submit your full presentation by the deadline.
Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA)
This event is for undergraduates from all majors, grades, and campuses. Participants present their original, faculty-mentored research, scholarship, and creative activities.
Creative abstract
Form Follows Subject: Design Begins with an Intent
By Cho, KyeongSook
Representation of a form juxtaposes the dual aspects of concrete and abstract aspects of reality. The Italian word “Designo” means intent. It is the intent–the truth or essence of the thought–that constitutes the real values of a designed object. The abstract concept is the essential: more real than physical reality. 1)
The two creative dresses, “Hidden beauty” and “The life in your eyes,” demonstrate the theory that form follows subject. Creation of “Hidden…” emanated from the question of where beauty is. The emphasis on outside beauty results in neglect of the whole person. This design reveals a message that a person cannot be considered truly beautiful without inner beauty.
“The Life…” conveys that only eyes with truth, goodness, and beauty allow us to stand firmly in the middle of the complex journey of life. The circular shapes incorporated in the dress represent the physical reality of the human eyes. The light color palette utilized is symbolic of the bright side of life.
These fabrics were developed using free motion stitches, creating a soft yet sharp contrast of textures. The variation in stitch density resulting from this technique reveals the wearer’s skin, a hidden beauty. Through the projects, she acknowledged the necessity not only to observe the appearance of an object but also to extract its true nature into a form.
1) Acevedo, C., Blossom, N., Melcher, M. (2005). Engaging meaning in the built environment through the design process. Unpublished manuscript.
Scientific abstract
Diffusion of Drugs Through Human Skin via Transdermal Patches
By Manoranjan, Valipuram S.
The permeability of human skin has been studied for many years and yet it is still incompletely understood. The skin is a unique organ in that it acts as a shield to the body protecting it from environmental toxins. This shield, so to speak, is made up of three layers; the stratum corneum, or horny layer, the epidermis and the dermis. The upper most layer, the stratum corneum is the most impermeable of all the layers. It is suggested that once a drug can diffuse through the stratum corneum layer the drug will easily diffuse through the other two layers. Thus, the topic under study is that of diffusion through the stratum corneum.
Each drug has a different chemical structure to it. Some of these structures are more permeable than others. For example, drugs of high water and oil solubility tend to be more permeable to the skin than drugs with low water and oil solubility. The permeability of skin is also highly pH dependent. Due to these unique characteristics of the skin, diffusion of drugs through it has become a difficult process.
The diffusion model described in this research can, and has, been applied to several different types of drugs, such as nicotine, herbal supplements for weight loss and hormones for contraceptive purposes. The end result of this research project is to design a transdermal patch which releases insulin at the precise rates necessary.