Research Exhibition - Exhibit Guidelines

Robert J. Huskey Graduate Research Exhibition

Exhibition Guidelines

There are three options for participation in the Exhibition: a poster presentation, the presentation of a paper or a performance piece.

Papers:

Participants interested in presenting a paper are to submit an extended abstract 2 pages in length. These abstracts will be judged and those chosen to present will be notified no later than March 15, 2006. Those not chosen will be given the option to present a poster at the Exhibition. The research paper presentation is given in a 20-minute time slot. The participant will be given 15 minutes to present his/her paper. The remaining 5 minutes will be reserved for questions from the audience as well as the judges. That means that the presentation should be well-rehearsed in order to ensure that there is enough time for both the presentation and questions. One of the organizers of the Exhibition will be in the audience to give reminders to the speaker at the 15-minute mark. Should a presenter go over, the organizer will be forced to cut off the presentation, in order to allow the next presenter his or her full allotted time. This aspect of professional presentations is a critical demand, and this Exhibition will follow suit.

No paper will be submitted upon registration or to the judges, only the abstract received from the presenter for registration; thus, the presenter may lean on notes or a written copy of the presentation as he or she sees fit. It must be kept in mind, however, that presentations will be judged based on delivery of the presentation, design of the structure of the presentation, and the content itself. In terms of content, it should be kept in mind that although judges will be from the presenter’s research category, this does not entail complete familiarity with field-specific terms and jargon.

Technological aids are available upon request, such as laptops with LCD projectors, overhead projectors, etc. All presenters must coordinate technological needs with the organizers ahead of time to allow for efficient progress of the other presentations.

Posters:

Presentations will consist of two components: a poster and a short talk.

Poster Guidelines

For registration, please submit an abstract around one page in length. As mentioned on the registration page, if we have more submissions than space then the best abstracts will be chosen to compete.

Posters must be at most 4 feet wide and 4 feet high and must be able to be hung using thumb tacks, which will be provided. The poster size is set by the boards on which the posters will be hung, so it is not flexible. Posters that are too wide will interfere with neighboring posters and may be rejected from the exhibition. There will be a minimal amount of floor space in front of each poster for models, preprints/reprints, or other free-standing demonstrations. These should not block the view of the poster and may not extend beyond the sides of the poster or more than a foot or two in front of the poster board.

Each exhibitor should prepare a talk of 5 minutes or fewer to be given to the judging committee. The talk will be given as the committees visit the posters, so it should explain the poster and should give any other information that does not lend itself to being presented in the poster format.

A small number of network and electrical connections for laptop computers are also available. Students wishing to use a computer in their presentation must supply their own. No projection equipment of any kind is available.

Presentations will be judged on their success in 3 areas: content (50%), display (25%), and oral presentation (25%). Exhibits should convey the fundamental goals and significance, both to the field and to the general public, of the research. Presentations should also include the following: names of collaborators, advisor(s), and department(s); funding sources; proof of regulatory approval (if applicable); methods; results; future directions of research.

The central aspect of the exhibit is the poster, with a combination of text and graphics intended for a wide audience. Posters should be attractive but substantive. Acronyms and jargon should be limited and technical terms defined. The intended audience is not expected to be fluent, or even necessarily conversant in your area of research, but will be well-studied in the fundamentals of academic research. Posters prepared for discipline-specific conferences will not necessarily be appropriate for the exhibition, since they are usually geared towards an audience which has a more extensive background in the topic.

Exhibitors are expected to give a 5-minute oral presentation on their topic of research. Some disciplines are not easily presented in poster form, so this will provide them with an opportunity to explicate their poster to the judges. The talk should clearly present everything included on the poster and may include additional information as well. Orally presenting one's research to one's peers is an important part of graduate training, so this component will be given substantial weight as well.

Performance Piece:

Students competing for the Performing Arts Award will be chosen by their respective departments (Drama and Music). You will prepare a 15 minute piece.

Any questions should be directed to Sarah Rush or Melody Zhu.

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