
UNDERGRAD
RESEARCH
Important Dates
Submission Deadline: April 3, 2025
Notifications: April 24, 2025
Camera-Ready Deadline: May 8, 2025
All deadlines are specified as Anywhere on Earth time (11:59 PM UTC-12)
Undergraduate Research Symposium Chairs
Ellen Do (University of Colorado)
Louis McCallum (University of the Arts London)
Shuoyang Jasper Zheng (Queen Mary University of London)
Contact: ur2025@cc.acm.org
Date of Symposium
Online – June 23, 2025
Call Description
The Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS) will showcase the creativity, research, and technical demonstrations of undergraduate students. The Symposium provides an opportunity for undergraduates to meet and discuss their work with each other and a panel of experienced researchers and practitioners – and will help undergraduates develop a professional network in the Creativity and Cognition community.
The theme of this year’s conference is Creativity for Change – we encourage you to share how your submission might relate to this theme (though this is not mandatory). Please refer to the main Call for Papers for more information on the conference.
Who Should Apply?
- Undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree program or equivalent.
- Applicants must be the lead author or sole author on their submission.
- We welcome applicants from any degree program, including but not limited to: Art, Architecture, Computer Science, Design, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Film, Information Science, Media Studies, etc.
- We encourage applicants from community colleges and minority-serving institutions.
What Will I Gain?
Professional Development – You’ll be invited to join us for a 1-day workshop designed to allow you to network with your peers, practise your presentation skills & get feedback from researchers in the field, and learn how to make the most of your conference experience!
Paper Publication – Undergraduate Research submissions that are accepted will have their paper archived in the ACM digital library.
Present at C&C 2025 – Accepted submissions will be presented alongside other content accepted to the associated track. There will be separate sections of Undergraduate Research Posters and Undergraduate Research Demos, positioned next to the main posters and demos in the virtual conference space (see the Gather.Town C&C 2023 Posters and Demos room for examples).
Submission Details
The submission for the undergraduate research symposium must include:
- A paper describing one of the following: (1) a research project that will be presented as a poster, or (2) a research project that will be presented as a technical demonstration. The paper must be prepared using the ACM submission template (Latex and Word templates are available) in single-column format. The paper can be up to 3,000 words , excluding titles, references and figure/table captions. The student should be the lead or sole author. The paper is NOT required to be anonymized.
- A biographical sketch of no more than 500 words describing your background (e.g., a few sentences detailing your career interests, your background experiences, your degree program, and your undergraduate institution). The biosketch is mandatory.
A submission to the undergraduate symposium should otherwise satisfy the requirements for the respective track: Poster or Technical Demonstration. If accepted, your submission will be presented at the conference. Below are some tips for preparing and presenting each submission type at the conference:
- Poster: If accepted, the author will present the submission in the form of a physical poster at the in-person conference, and a virtual poster at the virtual conference. A strong poster conveys the main message or findings at a glance and arouses curiosity, inviting viewers to learn more. Posters should strive for the effective use of visuals, including images, charts, and graphs, to bolster the content, alongside well-organised sections that direct the viewer’s attention. We highly recommend looking at prior work in the Pictorials track for inspiration on how to visually communicate your research findings.
- Technical Demonstration: If accepted, the author will present the submission in the form of a technical demonstration at the virtual conference space. The submission should specifically describe how the demonstration (“demo”) will invite participation or otherwise engage the conference attendees. It should also specify the technical requirements of the demonstration (how it will be displayed in an online platform). Aim to explain the technical aspects, including the underlying processes and methodologies to ensure your audience comprehends the demonstration. Connect your demonstration to real-world examples to help the audience understand how it could be applied to their own practice or work in the field.
How to Submit
Submit via the Precision Conference (PCS) website: https://new.precisionconference.com/submissions
Once you have logged into the PCS website, select the following options under “Submissions” and click the Go button.
- Society: SIGCHI
- Conference/Journal: Creativity & Cognition 2025
- Track: Undergraduate Research 2025
Selection Process
Submissions will be reviewed in coordination with the chairs of the relevant tracks in the conference. Authors who submit may expect to receive light feedback of up to a few paragraphs in length. Incomplete and incorrect submission content or formats will be rejected. Late submissions are not permitted.
Accepted Submissions
If your work is accepted, you will roughly have 12 days to prepare a camera-ready version of your work in the two-column format (i.e., a final version of the manuscript that will be published).
To convert to two-column, change the line in your LaTeX file from:
\documentclass[manuscript, review]{acmart}
to:
\documentclass[manuscript]{acmart}
To complete your camera-ready version, you should address any feedback from your submission review, fix any typos, clean up your figures, and submit through the TAPS portal (this checklist and relevant links will be emailed to you).
Publications Policy
- By submitting your article to an ACM Publication, you are hereby acknowledging that you and your co-authors are subject to all ACM Publications Policies, including ACM’s new Publications Policy on Research Involving Human Participants and Subjects. Alleged violations of this policy or any ACM Publications Policy will be investigated by ACM and may result in a full retraction of your paper, in addition to other potential penalties, as per ACM Publications Policy. https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/research-involving-human-participants-and-subjects
- Please ensure that you and your co-authors obtain an ORCID ID, so you can complete the publishing process for your accepted paper. ACM has been involved in ORCID from the start and we have recently made a commitment to collect ORCID IDs from all of our published authors. We are committed to improve author discoverability, ensure proper attribution and contribute to ongoing community efforts around name normalisation; your ORCID ID will help in these efforts.
Contact Us
Do you have any questions or concerns about submitting? Email the URS chairs at ur2025@cc.acm.org
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I have a cool thing I made for a class project, but I did some informal user testing with it? Can I include the evaluation?
Please reach out to ur2025@cc.acm.org and provide us some details about what you did and what you are planning to include.
Q: I did a project with some classmates. Do I include them in the author list?
Were your classmates actively involved in the project? Did they contribute significantly to the design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the project? If their contributions were substantial and integral to the project’s success, then it’s appropriate to include them as authors. Authorship implies a level of credibility and responsibility for the project’s content. If your classmates’ contributions were minor or limited, it might be more appropriate to acknowledge their assistance in the acknowledgments section rather than including them as authors.
Q: Should I list my professor as a co-author? Do I need to have a professor as a co-author?
When it comes to listing co-authors, the key is to acknowledge all those who contributed. A professor co-author is allowed but not required, you can put in an acknowledgement to thank your professor and team members of your project ; however, if you worked with a professor, be sure that they review and approve your submission.
Q: How do I make a strong submission?
See our tips under Submission Process > Format.
Q: If my partner and I are accepted on a submission where we are equal co-authors, do we both have a spot in the undergraduate symposium?
We’re glad you are both interested in attending. Space is limited so it would be ideal for each of you to submit your own work. Try to be the lead author on separate papers, so each submission brings something unique to the conference.
Co-authors may submit to both the poster track and the demo track through two separate submissions. However, both submissions must address significantly different aspects of the research to warrant two publications and presentations.
Q: I think I have an idea for a submission, but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for this venue.
Drop us an email at ur2025@cc.acm.org and we’ll help you decide.
Q: What should my biosketch look like?
Here is an example:
At Avalon University, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Creative Studies. Throughout my undergraduate years, I delved into the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and artistic expression. This well-rounded curriculum provided a solid foundation in cognitive theories, research methodologies, and the psychological drivers of creativity.
One notable highlight of my academic journey was participation in a research study exploring the neural mechanisms underlying creative problem-solving. Collaborating with a diverse team of researchers, I gained valuable insights into the complex interplay between cognitive processes and innovative thinking. Additionally, I assumed leadership roles in the Art and Innovation Club, organizing workshops and exhibitions to encourage students from various fields to harness their creative potential.
Looking ahead, I am eager to pursue a graduate degree that delves deeper into creativity and cognition. Specifically, I am interested in investigating how cognitive processes impact artistic expression, problem-solving, and decision-making. My goal is to contribute to groundbreaking research shedding light on the underlying mechanisms of creativity and their practical applications across domains such as education, business, and the arts.
Example Submissions
Christopher Bannon. 2024. A Toolkit for Crafting Simple Sonic Interfaces in Education. In Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Creativity & Cognition (C&C ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 35–37. https://doi.org/10.1145/3635636.3664266
Daniel Villagran, Nick Montfort, and Wasalu Jaco. 2024. Cyber Ear / Cypher Ear, a System for Automatically Appreciating Off-the-Top Rap. In Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Creativity & Cognition (C&C ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 38–42. https://doi.org/10.1145/3635636.3664270
Jayne Goodman and Riley E Wemhoener. 2024. Interactive Modules Using Parametric Design: A research study on how parametrically designed, prefabricated modules encourage interactivity and creativity within an urban context. In Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Creativity & Cognition (C&C ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 43–50. https://doi.org/10.1145/3635636.3664267
Matyas Bohacek. 2024. Evaluation of Concept Erasing for Artistic Styles in Diffusion Models. In Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Creativity & Cognition (C&C ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 51–55. https://doi.org/10.1145/3635636.3664268
Qimo Wan. 2024. Speculative Morphing Matter: Designing a Sustainable Future Via Morphing Materials and Structures. In Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Creativity & Cognition (C&C ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 56–66. https://doi.org/10.1145/3635636.3664269
Aarti Darji, Gunnika Kapoor, and Cesar Torres. 2024. Trace to Touch: Eliciting Gestures from Capacitive Touch Electrodes. In Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Creativity & Cognition (C&C ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 67–71. https://doi.org/10.1145/3635636.3664265
Gunnika Kapoor, Aarti Darji, Marisa N. Fernandez, and Cesar Torres. 2024. Sentura: Understanding the Cognitive Affordances of Silicone Microtextures in Tangible User Interface Design. In Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Creativity & Cognition (C&C ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 72–78. https://doi.org/10.1145/3635636.3664264
Reishiro Kawakami and Sukrit Venkatagiri. 2024. The Impact of Generative AI on Artists. In Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Creativity & Cognition (C&C ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 79–82. https://doi.org/10.1145/3635636.3664263