The ceiling of the capitol building.

Official Nomination Form: 2025 Research Day at the Capitol

Submissions for this form are closed.

About the Event

Research Day at the Capitol was established 30 years ago to showcase the outstanding undergraduate research being conducted at Oklahoma’s colleges and universities in the areas of science (including social science), technology, engineering, and mathematics. The prestigious event is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (OK EPSCoR), and the National Science Foundation.

Timeline & Activities

  • September 30, 2024 - Deadline for nominations | Online submission per provided guidelines
  • November 4, 2024 - Student informational training session deadline | Online meeting; Student participation mandatory
  • November 20, 2024 - Revised abstract deadline
  • December 6, 2024 - Poster PDFs and final video presentations are due
  • January 6, 2025 - First Round of Judging Begins | Student video presentations picked for in-person second-round
  • January 29, 2025 - Finalists Contacted | Finalists for second round in-person judging contacted
  • February 28, 2025 - Student informational training session deadline | Online meeting; student participation mandatory
  • March 19, 2025 - Online registration closes (all attendees)
  • March 31, 2025 - Poster PDFs due | Note: Printed posters are also required for the event
  • April 14, 2025 - Poster and oral presentation judging | Students only; Location TBD, Oklahoma City, OK
  • April 15, 2025 - Research Day at the Capitol | State Capitol Building, Oklahoma City, OK
  • April 15, 2025 - Research Day at the Capitol Awards Ceremony | State Capitol Building, Oklahoma City, OK

Nomination Guidelines

Please read this carefully, as the 2025 Guidelines have changed. All Oklahoma colleges and universities are invited to nominate two outstanding research projects conducted by an undergraduate student who is currently enrolled at their institution; the student must remain enrolled as an undergraduate at the nominating institution for the entirety of the Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 semesters. OSU, OU, and TU are allowed additional nominations due to multiple campuses conducting research. (Important: Only one student may be nominated per research project!)

Nomination allocations for the 2025 event are as follows:

  • Oklahoma State University – 4
  • Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences – 1
  • University of Oklahoma-Norman – 4
  • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center – 1
  • The University of Tulsa – 2
  • All other institutions in the state – 2 each

Student Nomination Restrictions:

  1. The student must be enrolled as an undergraduate at the nominating Oklahoma institution of higher learning for the entirety of the 2024-2025 academic year.
  2. The student’s research must have originated from an OKLAHOMA institution of higher learning. Research performed at or through institutions outside of Oklahoma may not be presented.
  3. The student must be a legal resident of Oklahoma.

  4. The student must attend all sessions indicated below. Make-up dates will not be scheduled.

    • First-round informational training session: Presented via video; view in entirety by November 4, 2024. 

  5. Students selected to continue to the second round of judging must attend all sessions indicated below. Waivers will not be granted; make-up dates will not be scheduled.

    • Second-round informational training session: Presented via video; view in entirety by February 28, 2025.
    • Judging session: April 14, 2025, noon – 5 p.m., Oklahoma City, OK (individually scheduled times)
    • All scheduled Capitol activities, including poster exhibit and awards ceremony: April 15, 2025, 7:30 a.m. –noon

Informational Training Session

The informational training sessions are designed to inform students of the event’s guidelines and to provide recommendations for success. With respect to participants' varying degrees of Wi-Fi connectivity and students' classroom schedules, the sessions will be made available as pre-recorded video meetings. Students must have access to a full-size tablet or computer with audio and internet access to view the videos. Cell phones are not acceptable, as the slides include important content that cannot be read on a phone. Nominated students chosen for the second round of judging who view the video in its entirety by the deadline will receive a $250 stipend (by mail). The stipend is intended to offset any expenses they may incur as a participant in this event. Participation in all mandatory activities is required to retain the stipend.

Poster Competition and Awards
Students’ posters and oral presentations will be individually judged from noon – 5 p.m. on April 14, 2025, at a location TBD in Oklahoma City; only students may participate in the session. Poster competition winners will be announced during an awards ceremony at the Capitol the following day.

The top student researchers will be awarded the following:

  • Over-all Grand Prize: $500 award plus $4,000 summer research internship; $2,500 award to the sponsoring OK college/university lab to offset internship hosting expenses.
  • First Place ($500), Second Place ($250), and Third Place ($250) prizes will be awarded in each of these categories: (1) Research Intensive Institutions and (2) Regional, Community, and Tribal Colleges

The following documents must be included with the institution’s nomination package and uploaded at the time of submission. (All documents must be submitted accurately and completely to the official site.

  1. Abstract Form
  2. Student's Research Project Abstract (developed per Abstract Form guidelines)
  3. Financial Responsibility Form
  4. W9 Form

Nomination packages must be submitted online. Accuracy of the information provided, especially the students’ permanent home and school addresses, is essential, as the information will be used to identify students’ state legislators.

The submission deadline is September 30, 2024.

Files for Download

 For More Information

Contact Kaley Barnicoat at 405.744.9964 or email kbarnicoat@okepscor.org.