Frank Low Research Day

The premier biomedical research event held annually at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

Named in honor of the former SMHS anatomy professor who came to UND in the 1960s and pioneered a series of new techniques for the electron microscope, Frank Low Research Day is the culminating event of the academic year for many area researchers working in the biomedical and health sciences.

Every year, more than 150 faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and students present oral and/or poster presentations on a wide range of basic biomedical, health sciences, translational, and clinical topics. Poster presentations remain on display in the West Atrium on the first floor of the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

Learn more about Frank Low in this 1999 article published in The Anatomical Record (No. 257: 48-49).

Frank Low Research Day 2026

The 46^th Annual Frank Low Research Day will be held in-person on Monday, April 27, 2026. Faculty, students, and staff in the basic sciences, health sciences, and all clinical departments are encouraged to participate!

More information is forthcoming, but if you are interested in serving as a presentation/poster judge, please contact Brittany Haugen (brittany.haugen@UND.edu) or Motoki Takaku (motoki.takaku@UND.edu).

Poster Guidelines

One poster per student only, please.

Abstract guidelines

Abstracts must be no more than 2,500 characters (including spaces) and should clearly address the following sections*:

Introduction: Background and objectives of the study.
Methodology: A brief description of the study design, participants, materials, and procedures used.
Results: Summary of key findings.
Conclusions and Significance: Interpretation of results and their impact on the field.

*Alternative formats (e.g., case studies, community projects) may not require all sections; please follow standard formatting used by your field of research.

Authorship guidelines

Presenting author must be a UND SMHS student, resident, fellow, staff, or faculty member.
For posters with multiple authors, only 1 author should submit an abstract to prevent duplication.
Additional authors should register if they will be attending Frank Low Research Day events.

Poster design/printing

Frank Low Research Day posters can be printed by the SMHS Office of Alumni & Community Relations (SMHS Suite E161), which offers one printed poster per event at no charge for UND SMHS business. Graphic designers will not reprint posters. Presenters needing reprints must go to UND’s Print and Mail Center or a commercial vendor. Presenters should carefully review their posters before printing.

Deadline: Poster submission deadline for FLRD is Monday, April 20, 2026, but earlier submission increases the likelihood that posters will be printed on time. Send posters via email to: UNDsmhsgraphics@UND.edu.

Print size: Posters are printed on 42” wide roles. This means that one dimension of your poster can be any size you want, but one dimension must be 42” or fewer. There are templates online for various size posters. Previously, the poster boards have been 60”x40” and there is a 60”x40” poster template available on the SMHS website. Presenters must confirm the poster’s final size when they submit it to avoid any miscommunication.

Paper types: Alumni & Community Relations offers regular paper (a greener option) or acid-free polypropylene (an archival option). If the poster is intended to be used multiple times, we advocate for the archival option. Both prints come from the same machine using the same inks, though the inks generally appear a little brighter on the polypropylene. The polypropylene is also a little thicker and tear resistant. Presenters need to indicate their desired paper choice when they submit the poster for printing.

Providing the poster: We recommend emailing the poster as a correctly sized PDF file (NOT a PowerPoint .pptx slide). Give your email a clear and detailed subject (e.g., “Smith 2026 FLRD poster on dopamine transporter”). We also recommend including your name, size, and paper choice in the name of the file. For example: “LastNameFirstName_60x40_poly.pdf” (for a 60”x40” that’s to be printed on the acid-free plastic) or “LastNameFirstName_48x36_regular.pdf” (for a 48”x36” poster that is printed on regular paper). Because so many posters will be printed for Frank Low Research Day, Alumni & Community Relations can only print around 15 posters each day. We recommend all presenters submit a poster to be printed to our office at least one week in advance of FLRD or we may be physically unable to print the posters.

Online posters

Online posters will be juried asynchronously from April 20-27, 2026.
Online presenters are not required to be present during this period but are expected to reply to written queries in an asynchronous fashion.
Online presenters are required to record and upload an oral presentation limited to 5 minutes in duration at the same time the poster is uploaded.

All posters, in-person and online, will be juried for awards.

Volunteer for a 3-Minute Research Impact Talk

We are selecting fast-paced, high-energy speakers for a "Big Ideas for North Dakota’s Health" showcase:

Each talk answers:

What health problem did you tackle for North Dakota?
How is this making a difference?

If you are interested in this showcase, indicate so on your abstract submission.