Come Take Part in UROP’s “Sidewalk Symposium” 2021
Heading into the fourth week of the semester, campus life is beginning to pick up. Students are getting settled in with their classes and social circles. Clubs are looking to add new, bright members to their communities. Department events are occurring more frequently all over campus. And, sprinkled amidst all this action, lie a plethora of fun activities for undergraduates. One such activity is the 2021 “Sidewalk Symposium,” where students get to indulge in artistic creativity…with chalk! Tune in below to learn more about this event and decide if it’s the right fit for you.
What exactly is this event?
This year’s Sidewalk Symposium is an event hosted by UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program) that encourages students to create visual presentations of their projects on campus sidewalks. And yes, with nothing but an abundance of chalk. This event will be taking place on September 22 (9am-5pm) at the Visual Arts Plaza. If it ends up raining, the alternate location will be the UMC in rooms 382, 384, and 386.
Odds are, a colorful illustration will be the centerpiece of your presentation, but you can also include any statistics, diagrams, formulas, or questions that pertain to your project. Also, make sure to register here if you would like to participate. If you are not participating, feel free to browse all of the fascinating sidewalk displays and engage with their creators!
Who can participate?
The Sidewalk Symposium is open to all undergraduate students that are engaged in campus research and/or creative projects. That being said, you must be working under the supervision of a CU Boulder faculty, staff, or mentor in order to participate. UROP funding is not required to participate. Although most participants will be working alone, you can also work in a group format with others. Just submit one participation form for all of you!
Are there any rules?
As with any campus-hosted event, there are some rules participants must follow. Firstly, because Sidewalk Symposium is categorized as “chalking”, participants must abide by the campus chalking policy. This policy basically defines where chalking is allowed and not allowed, as well as what content can be flagged as inappropriate. Furthermore, participants can only use water-soluble stick-chalk because it has no lasting impact on campus property or the environment. All other forms of chalk–chalk paint, chalk markers, spray chalk, and others–are not permitted on CU’s campus.
This event is also only available from 9am to 5pm; any chalking outside of this timeframe is not permitted by CU. I personally recommend that you plan ahead by sketching your ideas and then starting right at 9am. If your illustration is more elaborate, you can recruit friends to help you along the way!
All in all, these are the ins-and-outs of UROP’s Sidewalk Symposium 2021. I look forward to seeing you there or, even better, seeing the visual presentations you create!