Important announcement, March 16, 2020:
It is with great regret that we must postpone the FCAT Undergraduate Conference that was to take place on Friday, March 20.
At this time, provincial health authorities are advising against all public gatherings of more than 50 people in an effort to contain the COVID-19 virus. While the interest in this event was high, we recognize the need to prioritize the health and safety of the SFU community, faculty, staff and students. We must minimize the risk wherever possible.
We are thankful to the 113 people who have already registered for UGC, to our students for all their hard work in preparing their presentations, and to our faculty and staff for organizing the event.
If you have any questions about how SFU is responding to COVID-19, please refer to the SFU FAQs.
We appreciate your understanding and look forward to rescheduling the event on a later date. We’ll be in touch with more details as soon as we can.
The FCAT Undergraduate Conference (UGC) is a celebration and exploration of the diverse range of student work produced within our faculty. Students from each of our schools and programs have the opportunity to showcase performances, papers, installations, and displays. Students can submit their projects from their chosen topic of interest. The conference is an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and industry members to come together, share knowledge and build meaningful connections.
The submission deadline has now closed. Thank you to all the students that submitted their projects.
As part of their fellowship, our Undergraduate Research Award recipients present their work at UGC each year. While they weren’t able to present in person in 2020, we’re pleased to share videos of their research.
Through a compilation of research artifacts, Jordan discusses the dramaturgical process in relation to contemporary theatre. This presentation showcases both an explanation of her research and reflection from her time with the Undergraduate Research Fellowship Award, during which she acted as a research assistant to theatre-maker, director, and playwright Cole Lewis.
Colin Williscroft is a student in the School for the Contemporary Arts (SCA), working towards completing his BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in the SCA's film program.
"SCA offered me a new way to look at the world," says Colin. "Sometimes it was challenging, and other times extremely rewarding, but it made me grow my artistic vision through understanding and empathizing with people and their ideas.
Brett’s research explores the effects of close proximity dance performance through the examination and documentation of closing the distance between the dancer and the audience members during a performance. Before beginning her research, Brett theorized that when performing in close proximity, the audience’s perception of the performance becomes an active experience rather than as passive as one would typically expect to find in conventional theatre-style spaces. In her video presentation, you can watch as Brett closes the distance between the dancer and the audience.
Learn more about the experience of preparing for and presenting at UGC from some of our students.
What was the process like to prepare for your presentation?
I am ecstatic and full of gratitude to have been given the opportunity to share my passions and research at the FCAT UGC this year. Growing up, I was exposed to a great deal of speaking opportunities, which helped nurture my love for public speaking. The process of preparing for my presentation consisted of ... Continued
Can you give us a sneak peek about your presentations?
My presentation will talk about game streaming services, such as twitch and its contribution to the video game streaming culture. We will be working on understanding how a niche genre of video game streaming gave birth to a whole new technology of game streaming services and then how those services and technologies altered the streaming culture. Continued
Why are you interested in this subject (your presentation)?
My project, Unloading the gun, is about the potential consequences a male birth control pill would have in Canada. I learned that a male birth control pill was entering development again this past summer, the same time that anti-abortion legislation and restrictions on women’s sexual health were rapidly advancing across ... Continued
What would you tell students who might be interested in CMNS or to get more involved in presenting research?
My advice would be to take advantage of the many opportunities SFU provides in your university career. Events such as the FCAT UGC are great ways to follow-up with your research and build on your presentation skills. If you have a piece of work that you are proud of, it is very worthwhile to submit your project and see what happens. Continued
Why are you interested in this subject (your presentation)?
Although I am not of African-descent, I empathize with marginalized groups. For nearly a hundred years, India was colonized by the British (1858-1947) and it has had an irreversible effect on the country. My family is one of millions of other families that grew up in a country that is still recovering to this day. Continued
Describe the work that you presented at the UGC
The Night Pearl is a wall sconce design worked in a team in the course Materials In Design. However, I brought this wall light further by joining the FCAT Undergraduate Conference 2019, and created the final iterated prototype. This light inherits the Chinese culture into the contemporary light design, aiming to embrace the regional culture to a broader public.
What was the process like to prepare for your presentation?
To prepare for the presentation, I actually re-iterated my prototype by exploring more possibilities to enhance the cultural elements and the light pattern created with the wall sconce. Besides the product itself, I organized my presentation in a way that can be easily understood by the general public. Therefore, I would describe this experience as a product pitch too.
Describe your experience of presenting at the UGC
This was actually my second time joining the FCAT Undergraduate Conference. Internally, I think the conference allows me to connect with other presenters, exchanging our thoughts and ideas on what we have produced our project. Externally, I think the conference me to demonstrate my project to a larger group of public audiences.
Therefore, the projects we have done in classes are never just for academic, but actual projects or campaigns which may make a change to our community. In conclusion, I would say the conference empowers students to do something more, and definitely recommended you to be part of it.
Describe the work that you presented at the UGC
My presentation was on medicine and modernity, and the development of modern healthcare administration. Importantly it was highlighting the ways in which modern healthcare administration and architecture was influenced by modernism during the 1860s and 1930s, especially by scientific management, specialization, and rapid development in clinical science. It then analyzed these changes within a narrative of the development of Royal Columbian Hospital based in New Westminster, using primary archival sources.
What was the process like to prepare for your presentation?
Working with the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation and building the historical narrative with them, I was very comfortable with the content - I think the trickiest part was narrowing down my paper (which was 40 pages) into a 10 minute presentation that still broke down some of the heavy medical jargon and historical concepts. I found I had to go through my content often to try and trim things out yet still keep a flow, I wanted to keep my audience interested and remind them of the importance of establishing a political economy narrative for the development of modern medicine.
Describe your experience of presenting at the UGC
Overall, I learned a lot presenting to an audience that may not be as well versed in your area of interest as you are when creating. Another huge thing, the time goes by fast! I appreciated the supportive faculty, and I loved doing the panel, that's where I felt I could give more detail about the history.
Would you recommend that students participate in the UGC?
I would recommend that students participate in the UGC if they wish to do graduate studies, it is great to help you connect with the faculty and have the experience of a more intimate conference before going on to do other ones that may have larger audiences - I was able to take what I learned and apply it to my presentation on the same subject for the UGRS taking place a few weeks after.
Describe the work that you presented at the UGC
My research project was an exploration of the 2018 municipal election election in Surrey and the coverage undertaken by Punjabi media. Through media analysis, structured interviews, and research compilation, my project uncovered the diverse content produced by Punjabi media during an election period, and how it not only informed individuals through issue examination but acted as a space for citizenship building.
What was the process like to prepare for your presentation?
In preparation for my presentation I sought out advice from my professor, Dr. Daniel Ahadi, who oversaw my research. I thought about the meaning behind my project and why I chose to study Punjabi media. Through this process I really wanted to tell the unique story of the civic elections in Surrey and the coverage undertaken my Punjabi media.
Describe your experience of presenting at the UGC
The FCAT conference was an amazing experience. Not only was I able to showcase my work to my peers, but I was able to listen to others explain the dedication it took to prepare such interesting projects. It was truly a safe space, where students were able to share ideas and collaborate on ways to expand and scale up our projects.
Would you recommend that students participate in the UGC?
I would definitely recommend that others participate in the FCAT Undergraduate Conference. Often, when students put in their time and effort into their work, it is forgotten about as soon as it gets submitted. Here, students are able to explain the importance of their work to others and gain recognition for all that they have accomplished.
Describe the work that you presented at the UGC
My presentation was entitled “Voices in the Park: Decolonizing the History of Stanley Park”. It compares Vancouver’s Stanley Park through constructed narratives by our society and compares that to the lesser known narratives about First Nations relations to the park. The goal is to challenge our perceptions of and what we know about popular places.
What was the process like to prepare for your presentation?
I started working on this project through the FCAT Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Fall 2018 with Dr. Alison Beale. The process included a lot of primary and secondary document research, talking to people about Stanley Park, and actually walking through the park to get a sense of how the park is portrayed to the public.
Describe your experience of presenting at the UGC
It was an amazing experience to present at the conference because it provided another opportunity to present in front of people and prepare a presentation based on the research that I worked on. It was great to see the research that I did on paper come to life through the presentation and have conversations with people about these topics afterwards.
Would you recommend that students participate in the UGC?
I think all students should participate at least once in their degree! It can strengthen presentation skills which we will all need at some point in our career. It also is the coolest feeling to share your work and have conversations about it with people at the conference after!
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