Established by UTM's Office of the Vice-Principal, Research & Innovation (OVPRI), the Summer Undergraduate Research Fair (SURF) celebrates the research conducted by undergraduate students over the summer. This year's event will be held in person and will include both oral and poster presentations. Faculty, librarians, staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students are all welcome to attend.
- Date: Tuesday, August 20, 2024
- Time: 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
- Location: Instructional Building/Centre (IB), 1599 Outer Circle, UTM
The event program will be available in the coming weeks.
If you are registering as a guest, please skip to general attendance to register. Guests must register by Tuesday, August 6, 2024.
Important Dates
- Presenter registration deadline: Friday, July 12, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. Please note that due to space limitations, we have a maximum limit of 100 posters. We strongly recommend registering as soon as you able, as registration may close once we reach capacity.
- Presentation workshops:
- Oral Presentations: Tuesday, July 23, 2024 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
- Poster Presentations: Tuesday, July 23, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- General attendance registration deadline: Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Deadline for printing posters free of charge: Thursday, August 8, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. (firm deadline)
Meet Our Keynote Speakers
Anna Kosovicheva, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Bio: My research examines the visual processes that allow us to interact with the world around us, with a particular focus on understanding individual differences in visual perception and what they mean for us in our everyday lives. My work combines two main areas of research – one focused on understanding variation in fundamental visual processes and how these differences impact more complex visual judgments. A key component of this work looks at how each of our visual systems represent and update spatial information about objects in our environment. A second goal of my research is to develop and apply psychophysical tools to address real-world problems that can benefit from an individual differences approach, in areas ranging from digital readability to collaborative tasks as well as personalized assessment of visual impairments. I direct the Applied Perception & Psychophysics Laboratory, where we use a combination of psychophysics, eye tracking, and patient research to explore these questions in fundamental and applied research.
Profile: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/people/anna-kosovicheva
Lab website: https://applylab.org/
Lab social media: https://x.com/APPLYlab
Talk title: "Why we can’t see eye to eye: Individual differences in visual perception in the lab and beyond"
Semechah Lui, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences (CPS)
Bio: Semechah Lui is an assistant professor in CPS. She completed her Ph.D. in seismology at the California Institute of Technology and B.Sc. in geology at the University of Michigan. At UTM, she leads the Earthquake Physics Lab, which focuses on the physics and mechanics of earthquakes and faults, and their associated hazards, with the goal of developing physics-based earthquake models and methodologies that can contribute to seismic hazard mitigation and earthquake prediction.
Research webpage: https://sites.google.com/view/skylui
Talk title: TBA
Information for SURF Presenters
Please note that this event will take place in person on the UTM campus. There is no option to present virtually.
- Deadline for printing posters free of charge: Thursday, August 8, 2024 at 4:00 p.m.
Oral Presentations
Our team will contact you during the week of July 15 to let you know if you have been selected. Please check your email regularly during that week as we will need your reply within three (3) days. If we do not receive your confirmation within those three days following our offer, the offer may be rescinded.
Please note that oral presentations:
- Will not include a poster.
- Will consist of one speaker only.
- Will be three minutes.
- Will include one slide.
*Note that if you are not selected for an oral presentation, you will automatically be assigned to present a poster. If you are selected to give an oral presentation, your registration for the poster presentation will be cancelled.
Poster Presentations
We strongly recommend that groups select only one member of the team to present; however, if you do present as a group, the group should have no more than three presenters in total.
Registration
Register to present your research
Deadline: Friday, July 12, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. Due to space limitations, registration may close once we reach the maximum capacity of 100 posters. Please register early to ensure your spot.
Please register only once per poster. For posters that include more than one presenter, only the lead presenter should register on behalf of the team.
Poster Printing
You can print your poster free of charge at the UTM Print and Copy Centre! The submission deadline to take advantage of this offer is Thursday, August 8, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. Students will be responsible for printing costs of posters submitted after this deadline. Posters must be picked up at the UTM Print and Copy Centre.
Please read the Poster Printing Instructions carefully before submitting your poster for printing.
Contact the Print and Copy Centre directly (copy.utm@utoronto.ca) for questions related to printing your poster. Please DO NOT contact the Office of the Vice-Principal, Research & Innovation (OVPRI) with any printing questions.
copy.utm@utoronto.ca
(905) 828-5248
William G. Davis building, Suite 1132, down the hall from the Bookstore
Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Monday to Friday; closed weekends & holidays)
Workshops (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)
The OVPRI will host two virtual workshops to support research presentations: one will focus on how to prepare a successful poster, the other on how to deliver a strong oral presentation. We recommend all registrants attend these workshops. We will provide you with the Zoom links via email.
- Oral Presentation Workshop: Tuesday, July 23, 2024, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
- Poster Presentation Workshop: Tuesday, July 23, 2024, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Register for General Attendance
Deadline: Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Lunch will be provided for all registered presenters and participants. On the day of the event, please check in at the registration desk to receive your lunch ticket by 12:15 p.m.
Contact our Team
If you have any questions or need accommodations — to present or to attend — let us know! Please note that photos and video footage will be taking during this event. If you do not wish to be on camera, simply let us know in advance or when you arrive at the registration desk.
SURF Organizing Committee | Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation
events.ovpri.utm@utoronto.ca