Each Fall, the Trust and a different Northwest private college or university co-host a research conference associated with the Murdock College Science Research Program. The conference focuses on sharing and advancing new knowledge in the natural sciences created or discovered through collaborative faculty-student research.

Attendance at this conference is by invitation. Oral and poster research presentations by students form the core of the conference, and a talk by a nationally recognized research scientist is also presented.

The following institutions are current members of MCSRP: College of Idaho, Gonzaga University; Lewis & Clark College; Linfield College; Northwest Nazarene University; Pacific University; Pacific Lutheran University; Seattle University; University of Portland; University of Puget Sound; Whitman College; and Willamette University.

To request an invitation or additional information, email Dr. Moses Lee, vice president for scientific research grants and programming, or call 360-694-8415.

Our Next Conference

The next conference will be held on November 7-8, 2025, in Vancouver, Washington. Further information to come.

Conference Information and Resources

• 2024 MCSR Conference Program
• MCSR Conference Code of Conduct

Presentation Instructions & Tips

Oral presentations will be divided between Life Sciences and Physical Sciences, while poster presentations will be split into the following categories:

• A – Ecology/Evolution/Biodiversity
• B – Developmental Biology/Physiology
• C – Molecular and Cell Biology
• D – Neuroscience/Psychology/Exercise Science
• E – Biochemistry
• F – Organic Chemistry
• G – Analytical/Inorganic/Physical Organic/Computational Chemistry
• H – Environmental Science/Geology
• I – Microbiology
• J – Physics

Instructions – specific to the Murdock College Science Research Conference

NOTE: It is not a requirement, however if you would like to use the Murdock Trust logo or College Science Research logo in your presentation, please download the appropriate logo from this page. Please contact us at mcsrp@murdocktrust.org if you have any questions.

• Instructions for students giving an oral presentation
• Instructions for students giving a poster presentation

General Tips – not specific to the Murdock College Science Research Conference

• Ten Simple Rules for Making Good Oral Presentations
• Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation
• Surviving Your First ACS Undergraduate Poster Presentation
• Hints for Asking Questions

MCSR Conference Highlights

Each year Murdock presents various research awards to faculty and students across a variety of subjects. We are proud to highlight this valuable work.

• 33rd Annual MCSR Conference (2024)
• 32nd Annual MCSR Conference (2023)
• 31^st Annual MCSR Conference (2022)
• 30th Annual MCSR Conference (2021)
• 29th Annual MCSR Conference (2020)
• 28th Annual MCSR Conference (2019)
• 27th Annual MCSR Conference (2018)
• 26th Annual MCSR Conference (2017)
• 25th Annual MCSR Conference (2016)
• 24th Annual MCSR Conference (2015)
• 23rd Annual MCSR Conference (2014)
• 22nd Annual MCSR Conference (2013)
• Neal Thorpe Memorial Lectures