A record-breaking 723 undergraduates at the University of Georgia will present their research at the 26th annual CURO Symposium on April 7-8 at the Classic Center in downtown Athens — an increase of 100 students over the 2024 event.
Hosted by the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, the 2025 CURO Symposium begins at 9:10 a.m. April 7 and includes 181 oral presentations and 433 posters. The students participating are pursuing 200 different majors. Collectively, they are conducting research with 332 faculty members in 98 departments.
During the two-day event, undergraduates will present individually and in teams at oral and poster sessions. This year’s presentations cover a wide range of projects including cloud security solutions, health literacy in higher education institutions, characterization of mineral reactivity, isolation and monitoring of dormant parasites and a historic street mapping project, among many others.
“The CURO Symposium is an incredible opportunity to see the impact of undergraduate research at UGA,” said Andrea Silletti, program coordinator for the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. “Participation in the symposium is record-breaking this year due in large part to the dedication of the UGA faculty and the excitement of our students. We are honored to host this signature event each year and provide a window into the outstanding research being conducted at UGA.”
CURO will celebrate the 2025 Symposium with a few additions. First, the symposium will begin earlier than in past years to accommodate the increased numbers of oral presentations. Second, it will include an Introduction to Mentoring session for graduate students on Monday, April 7, from 1:50-2:40 p.m. in Athena Room D. Finally, the symposium includes a two-day Café CURO in Athena Room A that will provide additional opportunities for students, mentors and others to discuss undergraduate research in an informal setting.
Lance Wells, Distinguished Research Professor and GRA Distinguished Investigator in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and associate director of the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, will deliver the keynote address at 3 p.m. on April 7 in Athena Ballroom E. The CURO mentoring awards, CURO best paper awards and UGA Libraries undergraduate research awards will also be presented during this session.
The poster session and reception will follow at 4 p.m. Oral presentations will continue Tuesday, April 9, at 9:35 a.m. with the last session ending at 5:10 p.m. The full program is available online.
On both days of the symposium, a UGA bus marked “Special” will provide transportation to the Classic Center with stops at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, the Tate Student Center and the Arch.
The CURO Symposium is sponsored by the Morehead Honors College, the Office of the President, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the Office of Instruction, the Office of Research, the Parents Leadership Council, the Graduate School and the UGA Libraries. For more information, visit https://curo.uga.edu/symposium/.
