Music majors and medical students will find common ground today at the 10th annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum.

The forum, which consists of oral and poster presentations from 127 students, will take up most of the Union’s second floor.

“This gives undergraduates an experience that is really very special,” MSU Assistant Provost Barbara Steidle said. “They have an opportunity to work directly with faculty and develop a passion with a particular project and explore on their own, make their own mistakes and learn from them. It really gives them a sense of accomplishment.”

There are five oral and five poster categories that are judged by 13 judges at the forum.

“The experience of the judges over the years has been really satisfying to them,” Steidle said. “They come to the forum and don’t know quite what to expect, and they are just blown away by what these kids are doing.”

Awards are given to first place and merit winners in each category.

First place winners take home $100 and merit winners are awarded $50. Nearly $3,000 will be awarded.

Ben Ewoldt, a supply chain management junior, said this will be his second time participating in the forum, and he plans to do things a little differently this year.

“Last year I really had a hard time with time constraints and I barely had a 10-minute presentation,” he said. “A lot of people had been doing research for a year and to put all that in 10 minutes wasn’t easy. This time I’ll be making it more general.”

And Ewoldt said although winning first prize would be nice, he isn’t in it for the money.

“The stuff I’ve been doing is interesting to me,” he said. “I do the research throughout the year to help me out in my own education and to learning things. I feel like people should know what I’m working on.”

Cathy Burns, an analyst in the Office of the Provost who helped plan the event, said the forum provides a number of creative and academic outlets.

Burns said all disciplines and all majors are welcome at the forum.

“It’s really exciting to see the depth and the scope of the research undergraduates are doing,” she said. “It’s a rewarding experience especially at a time during the year when people feel burned out.”

“If a student is already doing a research project for a class, why not do this? This really puts undergraduates in a community of scholars.”