Berea Undergraduate Research and Internship Symposium (BURIS)

The Berea Undergraduate Research and Internship Symposium (BURIS) is hosted every year by Division I (Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Nursing). Participation is open to all Berea College students. In recent years we have structured the symposium with both talks and poster presentations as well as a plenary session. In 2019 we introduced a second oral presentation category for internship presentations that might not fit in the standard research presentation model. Both types of oral presentations are scheduled for 12-15 minutes with 5 minutes for questions/speaker transition. Posters may be submitted from various fields across campus (previous posters from chemistry, biology, physics, psychology, sociology, education, African American Studies, economics, industrial arts, computer science, physical education & health, and mathematics). The format for these will be a 4-foot wide by a 3-foot tall poster that will be hung after poster stands are assembled and in place on Thursday night or Friday morning. All students who pursued substantial research projects over the previous year are encouraged to present their research.

Registration for BURIS opens normally in September each year with BURIS held on the 2nd or 3rd weekend in October. Many students will also want to register for the Kentucky Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting held in November each year. Another opportunity to present research is the UK Department of Chemistry Regional Undergraduate Poster Competition.

26th annual Berea Undergraduate Research and Internship Symposium

The program for Fall 2026 will take place on Friday, September 25th. Student oral presentations starting at 3:00 PM (MAC 308, 355, 356, 357, 457, and 406) with a concurrent poster session starting at 2:45 PM until 4:50 PM in the MAC atrium (odd-numbered posters from 2:45-3:45 pm and even-numbered posters from 3:50-4:50 pm). These sessions will be followed by a 45-minute plenary talk (with 10 minutes for questions after) at 5:10 PM in the 4th floor Planetarium.

Dr. Tommy Boykin
Berea College

Dr. Tommy Boykin

Our plenary speaker for this year’s event is Dr. Tommy Boykin from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology. Dr. Boykin will speak about his journey to Berea, his accomplishments and experiences while an undergraduate student. He will also discuss his career after Berea.

Dr. Boykin's Biography

Tommy Boykin II is a research scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the Advanced Electronics Group. His research focuses on characterizing silicon carbide devices to screen the reliability of power electronic devices. Tommy earned his B.A. in physics in 2013 from Berea College, M.S. in physics in 2016 and Ph.D. in physics in 2019 from the University of Central Florida. His thesis work focused on determining the structure of squid protein by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. During graduate school, he was awarded an international research experience in Japan with the telecommunications company, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. Tommy has been awarded a NIST Postdoctoral and Early-Career Association of Researchers Service Accolade.

Oral Research Presentations

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Oral Internship Presentations

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Research and Internship Posters

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BURIS Registration

Registration form for 2026 BURIS to be held on Friday, September 25th. The registration deadline is Friday, September 18th.

Oral presentations will be 12-15 minutes in length with normally one presenting speaker with 5 minutes between them for questions and/or speaker transition. The posters shall be printed as single pages that are 4-foot wide by 3-foot tall and may be hung on the poster stands once assembled on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. For samples of past BURIS posters, follow this link.

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Berea College | CPO 1722 | Margaret A Cargill Natural Sciences and Health Building | Berea, KY 40404 | 859-985-3298