Frequently Asked Questions for Students
What is the Academic Excellence Celebration (AEC)?
The annual AEC showcases the research, scholarship, and creative work completed by KSC graduate and undergraduate students. It gives students an opportunity to present their best academic work to a broad audience of their peers, faculty, and the public.
Why should I participate in the AEC?
The AEC gives you an opportunity to share and discuss your scholarly work, to receive feedback on your work, and entertain questions from students and faculty from across the College, as well as the general public attending the Celebration. This is a great way to present your work in a formal setting, to exchange ideas with faculty and other undergraduate scholars, and to enhance your resume.
Who can present at the AEC?
Any registered undergraduate or graduate student is eligible to present at the AEC. Alumni who graduated twelve months ago or less are also eligible. Presentations can be done individually or in small groups.
Who attends the AEC?
KSC students, faculty, parents and other family, friends, alumni, the general public, and visitors from local and regional business communities and government offices.
When and where does the celebration take place?
This year the AEC will be on Friday, February 16, 2024. Registration for the AEC is located in the L.P. Young Student Center. Sessions are located in various buildings on campus.
How do I apply?
You need to submit an abstract to the AEC committee by Friday, February 16, 2024. The Abstract Portal will open on Monday, January 15, 2024.
Who is the project mentor?
If your project was originally done for a course, the mentor is usually the instructor who taught the class; however, other faculty who were not associated with this course can also serve in this role. If your project was not formally linked to any course, any faculty or staff member who agrees to work with you can serve as your mentor.
What is the deadline for applying to the AEC?
Friday, February 16, 2024.
What formats are available for presenting my work?
See the Presentation Types page to choose the appropriate format for your presentation
What are criteria for selection?
A Selection Committee comprised of faculty from across the College will judge your abstract based on the criteria in the guidelines posted online.
Where can I get help and advice about crafting and submitting an abstract?
Consult the online guidelines, attend one of the Abstract Workshops or consult with your mentor.
Where can I get help and advice about preparing my poster or presentation?
Review the Presentation Types page for specific criteria for each kind of AEC presentation. We offer Presenters Workshops in the spring. Ideally, you should be working very closely with your mentor in preparing your AEC presentation.
How soon can I expect to hear from the AEC Selection Committee?
The AEC Committee will review submissions on a rolling basis. Final notifications will be sent no later than March 1, 2024.
What happens after the AEC Selection Committee reviews student proposals?
After the AEC Selection Committee reviews all proposals, you will receive an e-mail notifying you of one of the three possible outcomes.
- Your proposal is accepted in its present form. No additional changes to the abstract are necessary. It will be published in the celebration program as you have submitted it.
- Your proposal requires further work or revisions. In this case, the selection committee will indicate specific issues that will need to be addressed in the final draft of your abstract.
- Your proposal was not accepted. The committee will offer a brief explanation of its decision.
The Selection Committee says my abstract needs further work. When are revisions due?
Resubmissions are due by Friday, March 11, 2024.
Are there other opportunities to share my work that was presented at the AEC?
Submit your work for consideration for publication in the undergraduate research journal Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is an online undergraduate research journal published by the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), an organization established in 1987 which includes 26 colleges and universities from across the country, including Keene State College. Each spring and fall, member institutions choose up to four pieces of outstanding undergraduate work which are then published in the online journal (http://www.coplac.org/metamorphosis/metamorphosis.php).
Publication in an undergraduate research journal is a great honor, one which will reflect well on students’ academic achievements and on Keene State as an institution that places value on undergraduate scholarship.
At present, the journal is unable to include creative work in video format, but can accommodate posters if they are submitted as a PDF file. Please forward all submissions, or any questions you might have, to Professor Nick Germana. Submissions will be reviewed by faculty in the relevant disciplines. Submissions received by the end of the semester will be reviewed for possible publication in the fall issue.
Does my project require IRB approval?
Please review the documents at the following links and contact the IRB board (irb@keene.edu) for further information.