School of Mathematics & Natural Sciences

What is the MCRC?

The Mesa College Research Conference (MCRC) provides an opportunity for students each year to showcase and present their research in poster format or in the form of an oral presentation to academics, professionals, other students and the community.

Students from all disciplines are invited to share your research discoveries with the campus community in the MCRC.

• Explore the questions that you are passionate about researching.
• Share this exciting news with a professor of your favorite subject!
• Ask your professor to mentor you and help you convert your vision into researchable questions.
• Submit your proposal to be one of the selected proposals to gain the opportunity to present your poster or oral presentation to showcase your research.
• You will gain a number of benefits:
  1. Research presentation experience
  2. Learn new skills
  3. Academic and professional development (e.g. portfolio)
  4. Enhance your resume and personal essay 
  5. Potential academic distinction (e.g. awards)

Come be a part of an amazing experience created just for you!

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What is new for 2026?

The 2026 MCRC is still being planned. Awards will be given for both oral and poster presentations. Baccalaureate-level posters from our Health Information Management (HIMS) program will also be showcased. 

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When is the MCRC?

Important dates:

*Dates revised October 26, 2026

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Where is the MCRC?

The conference will be held on the first floor of the San Diego Mesa College Math and Science Complex (MS). Poster presentations will take place in the lobby. Baccalaureate-level posters and oral presentations will be held in classrooms, also on the first floor. 

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Who can participate?

The conference is for student research in any field and is currently open to students in the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD; San Diego Mesa College, San Diego City College, and San Diego Miramar College). Students in classes that include a research component and students in honors classes are especially suitable for the conference.

SDCCD students who graduated one semester before the conference (the previous Fall semester) may still participate as long as the research was conducted while they were an SDCCD student and the mentor is from SDCCD.

Everyone must have a mentor from SDCCD.

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How do I apply?

The application for 2026 will be available on the main webpage and will be due March 27, 2026 at 5pm. The main webpage can be found here.

You can find a printed version of the questions from a previous year here, but only those who complete the electronic application will be considered.

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How do I become a mentor?

Any faculty member in the SDCCD can serve as a mentor. There are a few ways to become a mentor. You can inform your classes about the event and offer your assistance as a mentor. You can encourage a specific student to participate in the conference (for example, a student completing an honors project in your class). You can also contact Justin Estep about your interest in serving as a mentor [email protected] and he can direct interested students to you.

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Where can I get help preparing my application, poster, and presentation?

It is very important that you work closely with and discuss all decisions with your mentor, but there are workshops to help you in the process as well:

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How can I receive information about the event?

Most of the information is available on the main page and here in the FAQ. The main page can be found here. Once you have applied, you will also have an option to be contacted about updates, timelines, and workshops that might help you.

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What counts as research?

“Research is all around us.” The conference recognizes many different types of research including quantitative (statistical) and qualitative, collecting data and using existing data or sources, testing hypotheses and generating theses. All fields of study can explore and investigate something that qualifies as research. In order to qualify for the conference, your work should make a new claim and provide evidence that supports the claim.

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Do I need a mentor?

Yes. In order to ensure the best learning experience and highest project quality, you must work closely with a faculty mentor. Any faculty member in the SDCCD can serve as a mentor. If you have a project in mind, but do not have a faculty mentor, we can help you find one. You will need to discuss your project with your faculty mentor before you submit your application and provide your mentor’s name, department, and contact information.

The faculty mentor provides guidance and instruction only. All of the work must be original, student work.

If you need help finding an appropriate mentor, please contact Justin Estep here [email protected] to make an appointment and he can help you find an appropriate mentor. You will need a mentor before you can apply.

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Can I work with other students?

You may work with other students. Make sure that other students who contributed to the work are given credit (as co-authors) and are informed of your intent to present. You may present the work together.

Projects with multiple authors should submit only one application.

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How do I obtain data?

In order to ensure the best learning experience and highest project quality, you must work closely with a faculty mentor. Decisions about what question(s) to ask and how to answer those question(s) should be made with the guidance of your mentor.

Data collection may include conducting a survey, experiment, or observation, collecting samples (water, soil, etc.), gathering historical or other documents, using data from published articles to conduct a meta-analysis, and using previously collected data to answer new questions (archival research).

Some online data sources:

• catalog.data.gov/dataset (search by subject)
• re3data.org/ (search by subject)
• See also Do I need a mentor?

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Do I need references?

You will need at least three references for your work. You may want to search the databases through the Learning Resource Center (LRC; Library) available online here.

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How do I make the poster?

Posters can be made in a variety of ways such as creating a large slide in PowerPoint (or comparable program [Slides, Prezi, Keynote…]) and will typically include a variety of sections and headings. Posters should be visually appealing and include more than just text. Please work closely with your mentor on all aspects of the research, including the poster. For more information, please see the guidelines here.

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What does a finished poster look like?

For examples of previous posters, please visit the webpage for previous years. If you click on one of the categories (Analytical, Descriptive, or Experimental), you can see a list of posters from that category. Poster titles in blue are linked to the poster here.

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How should I present?

You should prepare a short (5-10 minute) professional presentation for judges who will be evaluating your research, poster (slides) and presentation. In addition to the short presentation, be prepared to answer follow-up questions from judges. You should also be prepared to present your research to and answer questions from conference attendees. The conference will last for approximately 3 hours.

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How should I dress?

The event is professional in nature, so you should dress semi-professionally (button-down shirt and slacks, dress, etc.).

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