The ceiling of the Oklahoma Capitol building.

Official Nomination Form: 2026 Research Day at the Capitol

About the Event

 

Research Day at the Capitol was established 31 years ago to showcase the outstanding undergraduate research being conducted at Oklahoma’s colleges and universities in the areas of science (including social science), technology, engineering, and mathematics.The prestigious event is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (OK EPSCoR), and the National Science Foundation.

 

 

Timeline & Activities

 

November 5, 2025                                         Deadline for Nominations

                                                                        Online submission per provided guidelines

 

November 20, 2025                                       Student Information Training Session

                                                                        Online meeting; Student participation mandatory

 

December 12, 2025                                           Poster and Revised Abstract Deadline

 

December 15, 2025                                        First Round of Judging Begins

                                                                        Student abstract and poster picked for in-person, 2nd round

 

January 13, 2026                                           Finalists Contacted

                                                                        Finalists for 2nd round, in-person judging contacted

 

  March 30, 2026                                              Online Registration Closes (all attendees)

 

April 10, 2026                                                Revised Poster PDFs Due

                                                                        Note: Printed posters are also required for the event

 

April 27, 2026                                                Poster and Oral Presentation Judging 

                                                                        Students only; Location TBD, Oklahoma City, OK

 

April 28, 2026                                                Research Day at the Capitol and Awards Ceremony

                                                                        State Capitol Building, Oklahoma City, OK

 

 

Nomination Guidelines

 

Please read this carefully as the 2026 Guidelines have changed. All Oklahoma colleges and universities are invited to nominate two outstanding research projects conducted by an undergraduate student who is currently enrolled at their institution; the student must remain enrolled as an undergraduate at the nominating institution for the entirety of the Fall 2025 - Spring 2026 semesters. OSU, OU, and TU are allowed additional nominations due to multiple campuses conducting research (Important: Only one student may be nominated per research project).

 

 

Nomination allocations for the 2026 event are as follows:

 

- Oklahoma State University – 4

- Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences – 1

- University of Oklahoma- Norman – 4

- University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center – 1

- The University of Tulsa – 2

- All other institutions in the state – 2 each

 

Student nomination restrictions:

 

1. The student must be enrolled as an undergraduate at the nominating Oklahoma institution of higher learning for the entirety of the 2025-2026 academic year.

2.  The student’s research must have originated from an Oklahoma institution of higher learning. Research performed at or through institutions outside of Oklahoma may not be presented.

3.  The student must be a legal resident of Oklahoma.

4.  The studen tmust attend all sessions indicated below. Make-up dates will not be scheduled.

·       Informational training session: Presented via video; view in entirety by November 20.

·       Provide Abstract and Poster for first-round judging by December 12.

5.  Students selected to continue to the second round of judging must attend all sessions indicated below. Waivers will not be granted; make-up dates will not be scheduled.

·       Judging session: April 27, 2026, noon–5p.m., OKC, OK (individually scheduled times)

·      All scheduled Capitol activities, including poster exhibit and awards ceremony: April 28, 2026, 7:30 a.m. to noon.

 

The informational training session is designed to inform students of the event’s guidelines and to provide recommendations for success. In respect of participants' varying degrees of Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as students' class schedules, the session will be made available as a pre-recordedvideo meeting. Students must have access to a full-size tablet or computer with audio and internet access to view the video. Cell phones are not acceptable, as the slides include important content that cannot be read on a phone.

 

Nominated students chosen for the second round of judging who view the video in its entirety by the deadline will receive a $250 stipend (by mail). The stipend is intended to offset any expenses they may incur as a participant in this event. Participation in all mandatory activities is required to retain the stipend.

 

 

Judging Process

 

Judging consists of two rounds; the first round is based on the students’ submitted abstract (Word) and poster (PDF) and will determine who will move forward to the second round. Judges will view all abstract and poster submissions within a three-week period and select one submission from each institution to continue to the second round. Based on final number of submissions, additional second-round presentation slots may be awarded based on the highest scoring first-round submissions across all institutions. (NOTE: The first round of judging will only be implemented if there are more than 25 qualifying nominees eligible to participate at the time the Poster and Revised Abstract are due).

 

Second-round judging takes place in-person in Oklahoma City on April 27, 2026. The winners will be chosen based on their live poster presentations. Please note that not all students who submit an abstract and poster will be selected to present their poster at the Capitol. The number of nomination allocations per institution does not reflect the in-person poster representation for the final judging session.

 

 

Nomination Instructions – Submission Deadline: November 5, 2025

 

The following documents must be included with the institution’s nomination package and uploaded at the time of submission. (All documents must be submitted accurately and completely to the official site.)

1. Abstract Form

2.  Student’s Research Project Abstract (developed per Abstract Form guidelines)

3. Financial Responsibility Form (We will add details for the in-person portion of RDC to this form and will ask for student/nominator signature to signify that they agree with updated policy)

4. W-9 form

 

Nomination packages must be submitted online at: https://www.okepscor.org/official-nomination-form-2026-research-day-capitol . This webform will be available by August 1, 2025.Accuracy of the information provided, especially the students’ permanent home and school addresses, is essential, as the information will be used to identify students’ state legislators.

 

 

For More Information

 

Contact Honey D. H. Bryan at 405.744.7645 or [email protected] .

 

 

Nominating Institution
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT NOMINEE
Student's Name as it will Appear in Print Materials
Student Nominee's Permanent Home Address
The Permanent Home Address will be used to identify the student's "hometown" Legislators. In addition, the stipend check (for non-OSU students) and awards must be mailed to the permanent address per State regulations.
Student Nominee's Temporary/Campus Address
Student Nominee's Contact Information
Required Uploads

File types: PDF is preferred. JPG and PNG are also accepted.

Word documents only please.

PDF is preferred. Jpg and PNG will also be accepted.

PDF is preferred. JPG and PNG are also accepted.

NOMINEE'S ADVISOR

Institutional employee to be point of contact for Research Day at the Capitol nominee
(May be different from Academic Advisor to research project).

SUBMITTOR

By submitting this form you confirm that you have received, from the nominating institution, permission to submit this nomination package on the institution's behalf. You further acknowledge that the nominated student meets the Nomination Guidelines as stated above.