IU INSPIRE Showcase
Through presentations of research, creative activity, experiential learning, and civic engagement, the IU INSPIRE Showcase highlights how IU Indianapolis students are making an impact in Indiana and beyond.
The formal program will tentatively include remarks from Chancellor Latha Ramchand and Provost Jay Gladden, as well as a presentation of awards for excellence in faculty mentoring and undergraduate research.
All members of the IU Indianapolis community, including family members and supporters, are invited to celebrate our student innovators, scholars, and leaders.
The IU INSPIRE Showcase is open to all undergraduate students wishing to share their work with the greater campus community. Student presenters must register by April 17 to participate.
Confirmed campus partners:
- 1st Year Research Immersion Program
- Academic Affairs
- Art History Department
- Biology Department
- Civic Activators
- Community Engagement Interns
- Division of Student Affairs
- Division of Undergraduate Education
- ePortfolio Studio
- Honors College
- Institute for Engaged Learning
- Kinesiology Department
- Life-Health Sciences Internship Program
- Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Institute
- Neuroscience Department
- Office of the Chancellor
- Office of Scholar Development
- Office of Student Employment
- Office of Workforce and Community Engagement
- Psychology Department
- School of Nursing
- Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
- Undergraduate Scholars Research Program
- University Library
Schedule
8:30 a.m.: Check-in begins
9:00 a.m.: Formal program with opening remarks and award presentations in Auditorium (venue map)
Session 1: 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Presentations begin at 10:30 a.m.
- Christine Grant Ballroom
- Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)
- Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Institute (MURI)
- Jesse Owens Room
- All-Campus Wildcard Session
- Palmer Pierce Ballroom
- 1st Year Research Immersion Program (1RIP)
Session 2: 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Presentations begin at 1:30 p.m.
- Christine Grant Ballroom
- Honors College
- Community Engagement Internship program and Civic Activators
- Jesse Owens Room
- Community Engagement Internship Program and Civic Activators
- Undergraduate Scholars Research Program
- Palmer Pierce Ballroom
- Biology
- Nursing
Session 3: 2:30 to 5 p.m.
Presentations begin at 3 p.m.
- Christine Grant Ballroom
- Life-Health Sciences Internship Program (LHSI)
- Jesse Owens Room
- Office of Student Employment Interns
- Divisions of Undergraduate Education and Student Affairs Communications Interns
- Palmer Pierce Ballroom
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Kinesiology
- Art History
General FAQs
The IU INSPIRE Showcase, also formally known as Research Day, is a campus-wide recognition of undergraduate student work across academic, professional, and community settings. Through presentations of research, creative activity, experiential learning, and civic engagement, the IU INSPIRE Showcase affirms our campus commitment to impact Indiana and transform our world by highlighting the work of our next generation of innovators, scholars and leaders.
IU INSPIRE stands for IU Indianapolis Scholarly Projects, Internships, Research and Engagement
Research Day is now the IU INSPIRE Showcase.
Friday, April 24, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
NCAA Conference and Event Center
The address is 182 W. Wabash St., Indianapolis, IN, 46202
The NCAA is located just off campus along the canal.
As the NCAA adjoins the IU Indianapolis campus, we ask our students, staff, and faculty who are able to park in their normal locations and walk to the venue, as parking is limited.
For visitors to campus and people with disabilities, we recommend parking in these two garages:
- Riverwalk Garage
245 University Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46202 - Sports Complex Garage
875 W. New York St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
All surface lots require a specific parking pass, so visitors should only park in the garages. Both garages accept D passes for people with disabilities.
NOTE: The evening after the IU INSPIRE Showcase is Jagapalooza, our campus’s end-of-year carnival. Jagapalooza is hosted in Lot 80 , the closest surface lot to the NCAA, located next to the Campus Center. This means there will be increased traffic and decreased parking availability in the immediate vicinity of the showcase. Please plan accordingly.
Yes. All JAGLINE routes stop at the intersection of University Boulevard and New York Street, an approximately five-minute walk from the NCAA headquarters.
The IU INSPIRE Showcase is open to all members of the IU Indianapolis community, including family members and supporters.
Yes! The IU INSPIRE Showcase is open to all undergraduate students wishing to share their work with the greater campus community. Please register by Friday, April 17, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. See more information in the Student Presenter FAQ below.
Yes, we will serve refreshments at the event including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Yes, absolutely! We have a variety of volunteer positions and time slots available. And if you need service hours, we're more than happy to sign off on them. We couldn't pull off these types of events without you, so thank you.
Our registration form is designed to collect this information. Please leave your accommodation request in the appropriate field when registering.
Student presenter FAQs
Yes! The IU INSPIRE Showcase is open to all undergraduate students wishing to share their work with the greater campus community. If you are not affiliated with a formal program partner, you may participate in the All-Campus Wildcard Session from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Please register by Friday, April 17, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
We created a submission template for student presenters, including all requirements, guidelines and example submissions.
You are welcome to present research, creative activities, experiential learning, civic engagement experiences, posters, ePortfolios, oral presentations, artwork, and other modalities. See more in the Presentation Modality FAQ below.
Submit your abstract using the registration form by Friday, April 17, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Yes, you may present with anyone on your research or project team as long as you are working on the same project. Our registration form allows for multiple co-presenters. If you have an individual project, you must present individually.
Guests and other attendees are also encouraged to register, but not required to, and may do so up until the time of the event. We will use your contact information to send you pertinent event announcements, like parking instructions.
In addition to presenting your research in-person at the IU Indianapolis INSPIRE Showcase, we have two exciting optional opportunities to publish your research:
- ePortfolios may be featured in the IU Indianapolis Engaged Learning & ePortfolio Showcase. Students who opt-in will be featured in our IU-branded repository of exemplary student work. Your work will be searchable by your name, your mentor's name, keywords, and year. You will also be able to link your resume to the Showcase entry.
- Presentation materials and/or posters may also be published as an Open Education Research (OER) through IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks, an institutional repository maintained by IU Libraries for the purpose of disseminating and preserving the intellectual and creative output of Indiana University scholars. ScholarWorks will assign a DOI number to your publication.
As these repositories are public, please be discerning when including any potentially sensitive information.
While programs are assigned to certain rooms for presentations, there are no formal assignments within the presentation space. Easels are available for poster presentations. Tables and chairs are available for all other presentation formats. There is plenty of space available for everyone to present, but each presentation spot will be selected by the presenter on a first-come, first-served basis.
People tend to present better when they feel confident, so wear something that makes you look and feel your professional best. With that in mind, plan to wear business casual or business professional clothing. This quick guide lays out what is and is not considered appropriate.
If you need appropriate clothing, Hire Attire is our campus professional clothing closet, managed by the Office of Student Employment. Contact Sam Brown at smvest@iu.edu for more. Indianapolis Dress for Success is another great resource.
Generally, yes. MURI, UROP and CEI students are expected to present for those programs regardless of other programs’ presentation requirements. Contact your specific programs for a more individualized answer.
Presentation modality FAQs
Check out our in-depth guide, including video examples, of how to prepare for your presentation.
Our poster template is available for use. It is intended for posters measuring 32” x 40.” This template is a guide, and you are not required to use it. You may create your own poster, but it must not exceed 40” x 60.”
You are responsible for printing your own poster.
For a fee, you can have your poster printed at the Multimedia Production Center on campus, located in Taylor Hall 110. The MPC requires orders to be submitted at least 5 business days before order completion, so no later than Friday, April 17, 2026. If printing costs are a hardship, please email ugrindy@iu.edu to request assistance.
The School of Science also has a poster printer for Science students.
If you are a presenter for UROP or MURI, please see poster printing instructions on Canvas.
The maximum poster size allowed is 40" x 60."
If you need assistance with creating an ePortfolio, please reach out to the Writing Center.
Bring your laptop to the showcase (and power cord) and don't forget to charge it. We have requested a power setup, but it is always best to have a backup in place.
If you need to borrow a laptop for your presentation, please email ugrindy@iu.edu ASAP so we can get you a loaner.