To Inquiry & Beyond is a student conference for Honors Program students at the three University of Nebraska undergraduate campuses in Kearney, Lincoln, and Omaha. Co-sponsored by the University Honors Programs on each campus, this conference offers Honors students the opportunity to share knowledge discovered, lessons learned, and experienced gained from research, creative activity, internships, education abroad, teaching or mentoring roles, or other forms of experiential learning with other students, faculty, and staff.
To Inquiry & Beyond 2026 will be held on October 30, 2026 at the Nebraska Union on the Lincoln City Campus. Registration is free, and lunch is included for presenting students and faculty/staff (although pre-registration is required for lunch!).
Proposals
Priority Deadline: August 31; Final Deadline: September 15
All students who wish to present about their research, creative activity, internship, education abroad, teaching or mentoring role, or other experiential learning need to submit a proposal by the posted deadlines. Many types of presentations are welcome. See the proposal form for full details.
Registration
Deadline: October 12
Whether you are presenting or not, all who plan to attend (including students, faculty/staff, and family/friends) should register to help conference organizers plan appropriately. All attendees who wish to participate in the lunch need to register. Registrations are due October 12.
Conference Info
Find all the important info here!
All conference info, such as the full schedule, directions, etc. will be posted here when it is available, including the schedule and the program. The preliminary schedule will be available by October 1, and the final schedule and program will be available by October 16. For more details on attending the conference, please see the FAQs below!
FAQs: Proposals
What types of projects or experiences can I present on at the conference?
You can present on any work or projects that resulted from a research experience, creative activity, internship or other work-based learning opportunity, education abroad experience, or similar experiential learning initiative. Your presentation should highlight new knowledge, created deliverables, and lessons learned -- in other words, presenting about something is not simply a list of "here's what I did"; rather it is a synthesized presentation about what you learned, created, or discovered through what you did.
You may present using a variety of formats including:
- a 12-15 minute traditional presentation, such as with a slide deck or reading a paper
- a visual display, through a traditional poster format for research or display of creative work in a visual format such as paintings or photography, etc.
- a screening of a film or performance of media like song or theatre, limited to 30 minutes including spoken introduction and explanation of lessons learned
If you have an idea that doesn't fit these formats, please contact honors@unl.edu to discuss your options.
Do I propose as an individual or with other students?
Most students will submit an individual proposal, or perhaps a co-authored proposal with one other person if it was a partner project/experience. The conference organizers will group similar proposals onto panels for presentation at the conference, usually of 3-4 presentations together or in a "poster session" model for visual displays.
If your project/experience is one shared by three or four other students and you can each present different content, you may submit them together as a pre-formed panel, which means you are requesting to present all together. This option is ideal for students all presenting work from the same class or who all engaged in the same internship or similar experience but did different work. In these cases, you will need to coordinate and one person submits the proposal with information about everyone on the panel.
What information do I need to submit a proposal?
The proposal form will ask you for information including:
- Info about you (name, email, NUID, etc.)
- Brief bio of you (max. 50 words)
- Info about your faculty/staff mentor for your work (see next FAQ question for more on this)
- Type/format of your proposed presentation
- Title of presentation
- Full abstract of presentation (max. 300 words)
- Brief abstract of presentation (max. 50 words)
- If you are proposing a pre-formed panel or co-authored presentation, info about your co-presenter(s)
Note that the proposal form will expand with additional questions if appropriate, based on the responses you provide when completing it.
Why do I need a faculty/staff mentor and do they have to attend the conference?
We ask all students to identify a faculty/staff mentor for their project -- this is a University faculty or staff member who supervised or guided you in the relevant experience and who is willing to help you prepare and practice your presentation before the conference. Please ask faculty/staff before listing them on this proposal, and review your proposal with them before submitting it!
If your experience was with a non-University supervisor (like an internship), you still need to find a faculty or staff mentor for your presentation. A good place to start is in the Honors Program faculty/staff on your campus.
Faculty/staff mentors need not attend the conference to serve in this role, although they are certainly welcome to do so!
Why are there two deadlines? What's the difference?
There are two deadlines to help conference organizers get a sense of potential conference size for planning purposes and because August 31 is very early in the fall semester. We encourage everyone to submit by the priority deadline if able, as this provides you the best chance of having your proposal accepted. If we receive enough proposals by the priority deadline, we may have to limit the number we can accept in the second round of review.
How soon will I hear if my proposal was accepted?
The conference organizers will make every effort to reply to students within one week of the deadline by which you submit your proposal. For proposals received by the priority deadline of August 31, you will hear back no later than Tuesday September 8 (since Monday Sept. 7 is a holiday). For proposals received by the priority deadline of September 15, you will hear back no later than Tuesday, September 22.
FAQs: Presenting at the Conference
How do the presentation sessions work? How long do I have to present?
If your proposal is accepted, you will be assigned to a presentation session with other presenters around a common theme. In general, most sessions will be 75-90 minutes in length, with about an hour allotted for presentations and remaining time for Q&A.
- If you are presenting in a format of a 12-15 minute individual (or co-authored) presentation, you will be grouped with 2-3 other presentations. All presenters will present their work, and then there will be time for Q&A with the audience.
- If you are presenting a screening or performance, you will be grouped with up to 1 other such presentation. Both presentations will be given, and then there will be time for Q&A with the audience.
- If you are presenting on a pre-formed panel, you may organize your presentation with your co-presenters however you wish in that first hour and then use the remaining time for Q&A.
- If you are presenting in a visual format, such as a poster session, you will be assigned to a session where you and others will stand with your visual displays and talk with attendees who rotate through the space. Q&A will happen individually in this format.
What technology will be available during my presentation?
All presentation rooms are equipped with a projector and a PC computer with internet access. Rooms are also equipped with microphones. You should come prepared to share any slide decks or other visual aids via a format that can be accessed on a Windows machine (such as PowerPoint, PDF, or Canva), and your visual aids should be accessible by email, USB drive, or online cloud storage. You should plan to arrive at your presentation room 10 minutes before the start time so all presenters can get set up before your session begins.
Mounting options will be provided for visual displays like posters, etc.
If you need something else technology-wise, please put detailed information in your proposal from or reach out to honors@unl.edu with questions/requests as early as possible.
How should I prepare for presenting?
You should practice your presentation before the conference, both to make sure you are confident in knowing your material and to make sure your presentation fits into your allotted time. If you go too long, the moderator in your room will have to cut you off to ensure all presenters have time to present during your session. We also recommend you practice with friends and have them ask you questions so you get comfortable with the Q&A portion that will follow your presentation.
What is the dress code?
This is a professional experience, so we recommend presenters wear business dress -- this does not need to be a full business suit, but should be a step above your regular casual dress. That being said, please also check the weather. Although we will primarily be indoors, there will be some outside walking involved. Weather in late October in Nebraska can be tricky, so please come prepared.
If you do not have business attire, there are campus resources that can help you, such as the Career Closet on your campus:
What is the role of the session moderator?
Each presentation session will be assigned a session moderator. This is a University faculty or staff member who will ensure the session runs smoothly. They will introduce the presenters, keep time, and moderate the Q&A after all presentations in the session.
FAQs: Registration & Costs
Who should register for the conference?
Anyone who plans to attend should register. This includes both individuals who have had proposals accepted to present and those just wishing to attend. This allows us to appropriately plan things like number of chairs, number of copies, make nametags, etc.
Most importantly, you MUST register ahead of time if you wish to attend the lunch.
This is a free conference; what costs might I incur?
Presenting and attending is free for University students, faculty, and staff. Guests (such as presenter family members) may also attend for free, but will need to register ahead of time and pay for their own lunch the day of the conference. The cost of lunch is still being finalized, but it will be somewhere between $10 and $20.
Other costs you may incur include travel costs, such as to drive to Lincoln if you live elsewhere and possibly an overnight stay in a hotel, if desired. These costs are not covered by the conference.
FAQs: Attendance Ettiquette
What behavior is expected from conference attendees?
Whether you are presenting or not, when attending a session, your job is to listen politely to the speaker and engage in the Q&A after the session's presentations. One good thing to do is think of one question for each presenter while they are speaking. You don't have to ask each question, but it's good to make sure all presenters receive questions and have a chance to engage during the Q&A period.
Also, please be on time for sessions and plan to stay for the entire session. Avoid entering or exiting a room while someone is speaking.
Can I post to social media about the presentations I see?
Please check with presenters before posting information or images of their ideas on social media. If they approve, please ask if they would like to be tagged on the social media platform.