Research and Creative Activities Conference (RACA-CON) 2025

CCS is pleased to announce the ninth annual CCS Research & Creative Activities Conference (RACA-CON) to be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at the Interactive Learning Pavilion (ILP), during the UCSB Parents & Family Weekend. 

Featuring brief talks, poster presentations, and visual displays of original works, RACA-CON brings together our students across all nine CCS majors. Participants present their discoveries and creations to an audience of peers, family, alumni, faculty, and staff, fostering the exchange of knowledge across fields and sparking new connections and ideas. CCS students: RACA-CON is a fantastic opportunity for you to gain invaluable professional experience! Whether you spent your summer, for example, writing a story, working in a scientific lab, composing music, developing code, sculpting art, or solving an equation, your project belongs here.

Apply to Present 

Applications are now OPEN. All current CCS students who have worked on a research or creative project are invited to apply to present their work! You may give a brief talk for a general audience and/or take part in the poster session with a poster or other visual display. Presenters are encouraged to share their work in a way that can be understood not only by experts, but also by friends, family, and peers across all majors.

You’re encouraged to discuss your application plans with the faculty member who oversaw your project (your Application Endorser) and/or your CCS Faculty Advisor. At a minimum, you should give your endorser advance notice of your intent to apply, as their endorsement will be required by the application deadline. To help you prepare, here is a preview of the application.

Watch past RACA-CON presenter reels for insights and inspiration.

Application Process Timeline:

• Application Opens: Wednesday, September 3, 2025
• Application Closes: Wednesday, October 1, 2025
• Acceptance Letters Sent: early October
• Conference: Saturday, November 8, 2025 during UCSB Parents & Family Weekend

Application Roles

Applicant: the current CCS student who is applying to present at RACA-CON 2025.

CCS Faculty Advisor: your assigned CCS faculty advisor. This is the CCS faculty member that you meet with to satisfy your quarterly advising.

Application Endorser (faculty): The faculty member who oversaw your specific project (may or may not be your CCS advisor). E.g., research advisor, creative mentor. Please note: their signature endorsing the application is required by the application deadline. Need help identifying your endorser? Reach out to raca-con@ccs.ucsb.edu. 

Talks 

Presentations may include research talks, readings of literary works, musical performances, and similar contributions. Note: While the exact duration of the talks has yet to be finalized, each presentation will likely be allotted approximately 5–7 minutes, potentially followed by a brief Q&A session. The College will communicate these details following the application deadline.

Posters

This includes research posters, original artwork, etc. Standard poster size is 24” x 36” or 48” x 36” though all work that fits within an approximate 4x4 ft area is acceptable. For work that does not fit these dimensions (e.g. larger 2D or 3D), or for work that cannot be mounted using push pins, please email raca-con@ccs.ucsb.edu as soon as possible prior to the application deadline, so that the college can identify options for display.

Note: CCS is planning to collect posters after the event for potential display in the CCS building. To request an exception, please email create@ccs.usb.edu.

Further details will be communicated as they are available. Please contact raca-con@ccs.ucsb.edu if you have any questions.

More about RACA-CON:

CCS hosts a record-breaking RACA-CON 2024

CCS Seventh Annual Research and Creative Activities Conference (RACA-CON) on November 4, 2023

CCS Hosts Sixth Annual Research and Creative Activities Conference (RACA-CON)

CCS Applauds Students at Fourth Annual Research and Creative Activities Conference (RACA-CON)