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ACC Meeting of the Minds

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Meeting of the Minds conference is held each spring (usually March or April) and is hosted by one of the 15 ACC member schools.  It is funded in part by revenue from athletic events.  The conference celebrates undergraduate research and provides an opportunity for sharing ideas and collaboration. 

ACC member schools include Boston College, Clemson University, Duke University, Florida State University, Georgia Tech, NC State University, Syracuse University, University of Louisville, University of Miami, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, University of Pittsburgh, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University.

The 2025 ACC Meeting of the Minds will take place at the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) on March 28-30, 2025.

You can review updated information about the conference on the Pitt MotM Website (coming in Fall 2024).

Applications will open in Fall 2024. All materials must be received by the posted deadline to be considered. Find the link at the bottom of this page.

NC State University currently enrolled undergraduates (ONLY) are invited to apply to present their research project at the conference. The number of students selected is determined by the host institution but is typically limited to 5 students per institution.

Presentation types will include Oral and Poster. Students will not be expected to provide a formal talk with their poster – they will be expected to stand with their poster for about an hour or so and talk to anyone who comes up about their work. For oral presentations, the length of the presentation is usually 10 minutes maximum, followed by a short question and answer period. The number of oral presentations is typically limited by the host institution to 2-3 per institution. When applying you may select oral as a first preference with the option to present a poster if selected.

The audience will primarily be the other participating ACC students and administrators – they will be from a large variety of disciplines, so the students should prepare to be able to speak to both students in their field and outside their field, as well as attending faculty and administrators from the ACC schools.

For more information on applying, join the OUR Google Group to be notified when applications open or contact the office at undergraduate-research@ncsu.edu

Before You Apply

Before beginning the application, make sure you have the following

  1. An Abstract (250 words or fewer)
  2. Resume
  3. Application
    • In addition to the above, you will be asked to describe why the MOtM is important to your career/academic goals and/or why you would be a good NC State ambassador (100-250 words).
  4. Request letter of support from your mentor, and have it emailed directly to Ryan Leaird at prleaird@ncsu.edu.
    • Your mentor can indicate why you should be selected from the applicant pool, background/experiences that will make you stand out and be a successful presenter of the work, what the conference opportunity may provide you (skills, experience, etc.), etc.

Please Note

  • Selected students will meet with the OUR staff during scheduled evening sessions to prepare for the conference. These meetings are a requirement for attending the conference.
    • There will be an orientation/introduction meeting and a meeting to prepare your presentations.
  • Students will be required to pay non-refundable expenses should they drop out after signing the acceptance contract.
  • Students will be required to use the NC State brand templates and color palette. These topics will be covered during the mandatory preparation meeting mentioned above.
  • While the project may have been completed by a team, only one person will be selected to represent the project and only one person should apply.
  • Application and ALL supporting documents are due by DATE TBD.
  • Applicants will be notified via email no later than DATE TBD, 2025 and need to submit contracts by DATE TBD, 2025.