Student Symposium 2026

Which category should I participate in?

UNENE has three categories for participation this year.

Your first step should be to consult with your supervisor as to what would be the best category for you to participate in. Your supervisor will help you determine what’s most appropriate.

Once you have discussed with your supervisor, complete the Student Symposium Submission Form.

Long Technical Presentations

Please submit an abstract of minimum 150 and maximum or 200. This abstract should present a clear idea of your work and its significance: your research question, methods, relevant results, and briefly the importance/implications of those results.

Recommended presentation length is maximum 10 slides.

Your presentation should cover a thorough overview of your work; however, don’t get bogged down with too many highly technical details! Your audience will include technical experts outside of your subject matter area, as well as non-experts.

Select the most relevant results from your work, and prioritize quality over quantity; figures and graphs are helpful to aid understanding, but not every single graph you’ve generated needs to be shown.

Finally, connecting your work to the bigger picture of the industry (applications, future directions) will help ensure that your presentation is not too narrow in focus.

6-Minute Thesis Presentations

Recommended presentation length is maximum 5 slides.

Your 6MT presentation should be geared primarily toward the non-technical expert audience in the room. It should represent a high-level overview of your work (or one part of your work) and have significantly less technical detail relative to a Long Technical Presentation.

The goal is not to condense a technical 15-minute presentation into seven minutes; rather, it is to tell the story of your research, with a beginning, middle, and end. By keeping the information concise and clear, and focusing only on the most important elements of your work and its significance (again, quality over quantity!) you should build a narrative that engages your audience.

Posters

Your poster should fit on a 3’ x 4’ poster board to be provided. It can be in portrait or landscape orientation.

Students presenting posters are responsible for bringing their posters — UNENE will not print posters or subsidize printing costs for students.

Additionally, you must attend in person to present your own posters — posters cannot be displayed by another student on your behalf. When creating your poster, consider composition: try to avoid overloading too many details with very small font and ensure that tables and graphics are clear and readable.

What is the importance of the Workshop? Why should my students participate?

The Annual R&D Workshop is an ideal opportunity for students to share their latest research and shine in front of both academic and industry audiences.

Because knowledge translation is central to UNENE’s mission, we are committed to showcasing a broad and balanced range of students from all member schools. We warmly encourage research supervisors to send their students to take part in the Workshop Student Symposium.

Which category should students participate in?

UNENE encourages senior graduate students to submit long technical presentations, and junior students to consider a 6-Minute Thesis or poster.

Take a moment to review the three participation categories and help your students choose the most appropriate option.

Students are asked to speak with their supervisor before submitting.

Is student participation guaranteed?

Poster and 6-Minute Thesis submissions are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Once all spaces are filled, additional students will be added to a waiting list. If any spots open due to withdrawal, we will invite students from the waitlist in the order their submissions were received.

Long technical presentations require a short abstract (150–200 words). Please note that submission does not ensure acceptance. Abstracts will be reviewed, and selected students will be contacted.

Are there any presentation contents that should be avoided?

There may be select attendees from non-UNENE member organizations at the Workshop. These individuals represent groups that, while not formal members, are active contributors to the UNENE community of practice and the broader Canadian nuclear sector. Students should tailor their presentation content with this broader audience in mind.