Creative Collaborations Showcase
The Creative Collaborations Showcase is a space to celebrate undergraduate research, scholarly activities and creative works from all disciplines. The high-quality work reflects the intellectual curiosity of our undergraduate students, the outstanding abilities of the research mentors, as well as USD's commitment to academic excellence and experiential learning opportunities.
Students will use a short presentation format, with six slides that automatically advance after 20 seconds. There will be an opportunity for the audience to vote for their favorite presentations, ask questions during a Q&A session, and interact with the speakers after the talks are complete.
This year, we will be creating an undergraduate research time capsule and will be inviting everyone to contribute! More details coming soon.
A place to celebrate undergraduate research and creative works!
Update 3/30/2026
We are no longer accepting slides and abstracts for the 2026 annual Creative Collaborations Showcase.
Presentation Format
A “PechaKucha” is a presentation format which originated in Japan where speakers present a set of slides where each slide advances every 20 seconds. “PechaKucha” translates to “chit chat” in Japanese, reflecting the conversational style of the format.
This presentation format allows students to present six slides that automatically advance after 20 seconds (2 minutes total). The intention is not to summarize the entire project, but instead to highlight some of the most interesting and important aspects. We invite you to think about ways you can present your research in an engaging way despite the short amount of time!
We are able to accommodate 45-50 presentations at this time. Presenting at the Creative Collaborations Showcase should not be required.
Submission Guidelines
Did you miss the Creative Collaborations Presentation Workshop? Watch the recording here.
Write an abstract for your project.
Your abstract should be no more than 200 words. An abstract is a short summary of your research that lets readers know what your research is about. There are many resources online such as this to help you write an abstract. It is also important to work with your faculty mentor and receive their guidance.
The abstract submitted will appear on the official Creative Collaborations program booklet.
Create your 6 presentation slides.
Slide Guidelines:
- Your presentation can have no more than 6 slides (the standard abstract slide is no longer required).
- Please use Google Slides to create your presentation.
- Slides can be formatted in whatever way works best for you and your presentation! Be creative!
- Use at least 24 pt. font for all body text that you want your audience to read. Headings should be larger.
- Make sure your images, tables, or figures are large enough to view from a distance.
- No videos or gifs!
Slides may be modified until April 14, 2026 at 12:00 pm.
Submit your abstract and slides using the Creative Collaborations Submission Form by Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
Click here to view the Creative Collaborations Showcase 2026 Submission Form
Please ensure that your presentation on Google Slides can be accessed by others (you will need to update the access settings on your slides before submitting). If you have any questions about this, please contact ugresearch@sandiego.edu.
OUR will contact faculty mentors to verify that they approve of their student's submission.
Have any questions?
Come to Office Hours!
We are happy to assist you with any questions you may have about getting involved with undergraduate research! Our Spring 2026 office hours are held on Thursdays and Fridays from 1:30 - 3:00 pm in Maher 252. We hope to see you there!
Other Presentation Opportunities
Here are some discipline-specific opportunities to present undergraduate research and creative works:
STEM |
Social Sciences |
|---|---|
| Creative Collaborations in the Sciences Tuesday, April 21, 2026 12:15 - 2:15 pm Shiley Atrium More details here Contact: Ryan McGorty (rmcgorty@sandiego.edu) |
Social Sciences Inquiry Showcase Saturday, April 25, 2026 9:00 am - 1:30 pm Location TBD More details here Contact: David Syring (dsyring@sandiego.edu) or Susannah Stern (susannahstern@sandiego.edu) |
Abstract Books
The 2026 abstract book will be available digitally on this page and on the MyUSD app. There will be limited printed copies for the audience during Creative Collaborations. Abstract books from previous years can be accessed electronically by clicking on the links below.