On March 26^th, UCO closed physical campus and transitioned to alternative instructional delivery of classes and services in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Most offices now offer services online and the Office of High-Impact Practices (OHIP) isn’t an exemption.

Before the lockdown, the 2020’s Oklahoma Research Day had been held on March 6 at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford. However, the remaining undergraduate research events have been affected by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and they have either been cancelled or postponed.

After thoughtful consideration and careful monitoring of the COVID-19 situation, Montana State University, in coordination with the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) cancelled the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR 2020) that was scheduled for March 26-28 on the university’s campus. 2020 Oklahoma Research Day at the Captiol which was set to hold on March 31 was cancelled as well.

The University of Central Oklahoma’s College of Liberal Arts Annual Student Symposium, originally scheduled for April 1, has been postponed. The event has not been rescheduled, but the College of Liberal Arts will announce a new date and it will be passed here and on social media when it is determined.

Another event that has been cancelled is the in-person Posters on the Hill 2020 event which was scheduled for April 20-21, 2020 but the CUR national office has been researching ways to honor those who had been accepted to the 2020 Posters on the Hill celebration. A virtual poster session is being organized to take place on April 21 on Twitter. More information will be coming about the event and will be released soon.

The Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activities (RCSA) Grants program and 1890: A Journal on Undergraduate Research publications are still going on as planned. Submissions for 1890 and the RCSA grants for 2020-21 are currently out for review and more information will be announced at the end of the semester.

Although, OHIP’s physical office has been closed, we can still be reached through the phone at (-974-5086-) and email at ohip@uco.edu

Please, help flatten the coronavirus infection curve by washing your hands often, keeping your hands away from your face and practicing social distancing. Visit UCO’s COVID-19 website – https://www.uco.edu/coronavirus/ for important updates related to the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While staying safe, kindly follow OHIP on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to stayed up to date on changes in undergraduate research activities for this semester!