Florida STEM Symposium

The 2026 Florida STEM Symposium
February 1 - 3, 2026

The 2026 Florida STEM Symposium (FSS) is a 3-Day Science Conference for 9–12th grade high school students, teachers, and parents! This program is being administered by the Univeristy of Florida Center for Precollegiate Education and Training. 

FSS is designed to inspire students with an interest in STEM research at various stages of their professional development through various opportunites to present their research, collaborative feedback sessions, and engaging talks and tours from campus stakeholders. 

While participating in the FSS, students, teachers, and parents will have the opportunity to:

• Interact with UF faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students to explore university-level research, learn about science and humanities majors, and discover career opportunities.
• Visit research labs to learn about exciting research and discoveries happening right now!
• Present research at the STEM Research Competitions or during the non-competitive poster and presentation sessions.

The 2026 Florida STEM Symposium is open to all Florida high school students (grades 9-12), teachers, and parents. Competitive participation is open 9-12 grade students. Chaperonage is not provided by the symposium. 

Applications Open December 1st!

All registrations will be collected through form submission. Paper registration will not be accepted.

Please Note:  Minor-age students will need to have a parent complete required waivers and provide parent/guardian information on their application.  

PROGRAM FEES FOR 2026 (Individual Attendees/Competitors)

 *All cancellations and substitutions must be made in writing by the registration deadline. Late registration will be accepted as space allows.

PROGRAM FEES FOR 2026 (School Groups)

Please reach out to d.perry@ufl.edu to access the group summary form, school group rates, and to register school groups. 

PAYMENTS

Payment information will be provided after confirmed registration process.

Symposium Information

2026 Florida STEM Symposium Timeline

Monday, December 1^st  - Applications Open 

Friday, December 19^th - Competitive Speaker Session Applications Close 

Monday, January 12^th - Competitive Invitations Released 

Monday, January 19^th - Non-Competitive Participant Registration Deadline 

Sunday, February 1^st - Tuesday, February 3^rd  Florida STEM Symposium

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2026 Florida STEM Symposium Sessions

• Competitive Speaker Session
• Open Poster Session
• Presentation Feedback Session

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Applications for competitive session will require 

1. Application Completion 
2. Paper Submission 
3. Abstract Submission 
4. Description of Project Supervision & Support 
5. Liability Waiver (signed by parents) 

Applications for Poster/Presentation sessions will require 

1. Application Completion 
2. Abstract Submission 
3. Liability Waiver (signed by parents) 

Competitive Speaker Session Submission Guidelines

Abstract Preparation

All Florida STEM Symposium particpant applicants must submit a 250-word maximum abstract in electronic format.

The abstract should clearly present the core focus of the research and highlight the most important findings. It must state the hypothesis and outline the conclusions drawn from the study. Additionally, the abstract serves to spark the interest of non-specialist readers, encouraging dialogue, exchange of ideas, and further discussion among authors and readers alike.

The format for the 250-word abstract includes 1-inch margins, single spaced, typed in 12-point font (Times New Roman).

Abstracts must be adequate in length but not exceed these specifications.

The header preceding the abstract body must include: 

1. Title of the research 
2. Author name
3. High school, high school city, high school state
4. Name of teacher/mentor/sponsor and his or her organization
5. Include one line of space between the heading and the abstract body

Research Paper Preparation 

The Florida STEM Symposium requires submission of the research paper. Requirements for the research paper follow. 

The paper must be in APA Style student format. 

The paper should be a minimum of 5-6 pages and a maximum of 20 pages double-spaced, including appendices and references. 

A recommended outline for the research paper includes:

• title page, or cover page stating the student’s name, school address, and title of the research
• table of contents
• introduction
• materials and methods
• results (data or findings)
• discussion and conclusions
• acknowledgements
• references, or literature cited, and appendices 

Notice of Independent Research

All abstracts and research papers submitted to the Florida STEM Symposium must be the original work of the student submitting. The Florida STEM Symposium expects that all work students submit will be their own. Instances of collaboration during the research process are expected to be outlined in the Description of Project Supervision & Support during the application process. 

Non-Competitive Student Participation Opportunities

The Florida STEM Symposium offers opportunities for all student participants to present original research, science proposals, or science-based visual arts to peers, teachers, parents, and representatives from the University of Florida in the Open Poster Session and STEM Presentation Session. These sessions are non-competitive and there is no selection process required; although students must pre-register to participate. Students gain professional communication experience and receive feedback from peers, teachers, parents, and UF faculty and undergraduate/graduate students.

STEM Presentation Session

The STEM Presentation Session is an opportunity for students to share current research information with peers, to develop professional verbal presentation skills, and to prepare students for future science competition.

Presenters give a 5-minute talk, with up to 2 minutes of questions from the audience. Student may use PowerPoint or similar computer-based visuals. Students will receive both peer and teacher/educator feedback.

Students wishing to participate in the STEM Presentation Session should prepare, revise, and practice their presentations before arriving at the Florida STEM Symposium. The presentations should reflect the high quality of work conducted by the students and the professionalism of a state science symposium.

Non-Competitive Open Poster Session 

All students interested in attending the Florida STEM Symposium are invited and encouraged to participate. There is not a selection process for the Open Poster Session, however, we request that teachers work with students to develop work that reflects the high standard of a state science symposium. Students must be prepared for a short ‘elevator pitch’ of up to 5 minutes to share with visitors to their poster. Posters are typically 36" high and 48" wide and need to be printed prior to competition. These posters will be displayed on professional poster boards (see example photo of poster boards below):