Undergraduate and graduate students competed in Chico State’s 34th Annual Student Research Competition on Wednesday for a cash prize and one of 10 spots to compete statewide against other CSU students.

“This competition is meant to encourage undergraduates to begin to be involved in research,” Administrative Support Coordinator Rosemary White said. “For other students, such as graduates already involved in research, it is an opportunity to gain experience making professional presentations.” 

There are three factors students must take into consideration when applying: eligibility, application process and guidelines.

Factors of these requirements include presentation on material from ten categories, summary of the project in the application and following the provided guidelines including timeframe of the presentation.

“Student participants enjoy and benefit from the experience,” White said. “In addition, local winners win cash prizes ranging from one hundred to two hundred dollars and can add the accolades to their resumes.”

White added that statewide delegates get an all-expense paid trip to the statewide competition and the opportunity to gain experience competing against other winners throughout California.

Public Administration graduate student Argelia Ramirez explained that although she was in the middle of her research project, she thought the competition was worth a shot.

“I asked one of my faculty advisors if I should enter and she encouraged me to do so,” Ramirez said. “People who are at any stage of their projects could come present. I filled out the application on the website and was confirmed to enter.”

Although Ramirez had difficulty condensing her 20 page research paper to only five pages for the presentation portion, she still had a positive experience competing.

“I was scared before presenting, but in the end I realized I didn’t have to be,” Ramirez said. “It was an overall good experience and I truly feel like I gained skills such as better public speaking.” 

The 10 selected delegates will compete at CSU, East Bay on April 24 to 25. 

Angelina Mendez can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter @theorion_angie