The Undergraduate Research Symposium is an annual event since 2002 designed to provide undergraduate students, from the University of Pittsburgh and other colleges and universities, with advanced research experiences and opportunities to develop presentation skills. The event is open to undergraduates from all majors and institutions who have written a research paper from a social science, humanities, or business perspective focusing on the study of Eastern, Western, or Central Europe, the European Union, Russia, or other countries of the former Soviet Union. The Symposium is held on the University of Pittsburgh-Oakland campus.

After the initial submission of papers, selected participants were grouped into panels according to their research topics. At the symposium, participants give a 10- to 15-minute presentations based on their research to a panel of faculty and graduate students. The presentations are open to the public.