Call for Abstracts: 2026 SURE Symposium

May 1, 2026 Outreach

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa invites undergraduate students to submit abstracts for the 2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Symposium.

Event Details:

Date: Friday, July 31, 2026
Location: Hawai‘i Imin International Conference Center
Format: In-person oral and poster presentations (group and individual)

Schedule of Activities

Check back in July for a copy of the program!

Who Can Submit:

  • All UH Mānoa undergraduate students
  • Non-UH Mānoa undergraduate students working under a UH Mānoa mentor
  • Students may present in-progress or completed projects, regardless of UROP funding or SURE Program participation1.

Registration Form

Registration for the 2026 SURE Symposium will open in June. The deadline to register is Wednesday, July 16 at 5 p.m.

If you are presenting as a group, please submit only one registration form, but provide information for each individual presenter. For groups larger than 6, please email the Program Coordinator at urop@hawaii.edu.

If you have received special permission to submit your abstract by email, before submitting, make sure:

  • Your mentor has agreed to be listed as your project mentor and co-author;
  • Your mentor has reviewed and approved your project title and abstract;
  • Your abstract is no more than 1500 characters (~250 words).

Presenters:

Eligible presenters include

  • All UH Mānoa undergraduate students.
  • Non-UH Mānoa undergraduate students working with a UH Mānoa mentor.*

Students may deliver presentations that have either been completed or that are in progress at the time of the Symposium.

Presenters do NOT need to be registered for the regular SURE Program to sign up toe present at the SURE Symposium.

*There are no eligibility requirements to be a UH Mānoa mentor for SURE. Mentor eligibility is required only when students apply for UROP student funding or mentors apply for a Mentoring Grant.

Oral Presentations

  • Each oral presentation may be delivered by individual students or by a group of students.
  • Oral presentations will be delivered in hybrid format: to an in-person audience in breakout rooms at the Imin Center and virtually to a remote audience over Zoom.
  • Each presentation will last for a total of 15 minutes: 10 for delivery and 5 for Q&A.
  • Presenters should prepare a slide deck that will be displayed in person via SMART Board and via screen share over Zoom.

Poster Presentations

  • Each poster presentations may be delivered by individual students or by a group of students.
  • Poster presentations will be delivered in person only on a poster floor in the common area of the Imin Center.
  • Poster presentations will last for one hour, during which time audience members will roam the floor and engage presenters.
  • Presenters should prepare posters 36 inches tall and 48 inches wide. Printed posters will be mounted on poster boards and stands provided by the Symposium organizers.

Poster Printing Resources

UROP offers free poster printing to poster presenters, but make sure to submit your work order on time! Click here for more information.

Additional Information:

  • The SURE Symposium is free to participate in and attend.
  • All students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome as guests (registration required).
  • Guest sign up for the 2026 SURE Symposium will open in June.
  • An event program will be made available in July.


Volunteer

Are you interested in contributing to the success of this year’s SURE Symposium? UROP kindly requests the assistance of UH Mānoa faculty, staff, and students, as well as of the broader community, to volunteer at the Symposium in the following roles:

  • Registration and snacks: Two or more volunteers will set up and dismantle registration and snack tables and facilitate guest and presenter sign in.
  • Moderating oral presentations: Two volunteers will be assigned to each of the presentation rooms, where they will introduce presenters, facilitate the Q&A portion of each presentation, keep time, troubleshoot technical issues, and pack their assigned room up.
  • Photo and video documentation: Volunteers will photograph and/or record the day’s events for multimedia UROP can use in future promotional efforts.

Volunteer registration for the 2026 SURE Symposium will open in June.

For more details, visit the SURE Symposium webpage or contact urop@hawaii.edu.