Poster Session Instructions
All students interested in participating in the Sigma Xi poster session need to complete the following checklist:
- Prepare an abstract of your project according to the these guidelines. Note: If your description is longer than one page, only the first page will be included in the poster session proceedings. Please make sure the abstract you submit is in the proper format and has your name on it. Also, please make it clear who your fellow student researchers (if any) are vs. faculty members.
- Prepare your poster. Format your poster to fit on a page that is 48" wide and 35" tall. Be sure to put your name, your advisor's name, (the name(s) of any co-authors), and the name of your project on the poster. Your poster should be descriptive, with large type and lots of pictures. Someone reading the poster should be able to get the main idea without working too hard (or straining their eyes). It's ok to leave some of the details out; in fact, that's part of the reason why you should plan to spend time near your poster during the active showings to answer questions. View information on how to print a poster on campus.
- Submit your contact and poster information along with your abstract using this registration page.
- Diagrams, flow charts, graphs, and other visualizations are excellent material for posters. Props and laptops showing animations or demos of software are fine, too. Having a small candy dish near your poster is another way to encourage passersby to visit and learn about your work. We strongly suggest that you take a look at this video. It describes a new, fun, and informative way to organize your poster. I will be back in touch closer to the poster session with other poster making/science communication resources.
- By late morning of the first day of the poster session, there will be a booklet with your poster number and a map of your poster location near the elevator in the Commons. Poster boards, clips, and easels will be available in the Commons. The map indicates whether your spot requires an easel. Poster boards are for use ONLY with easels, pillars, or walls/windows that have a wooden ledge on which to rest a poster board at eye level. (The latter are only located near SC101). If your spot is on a wall without a ledge, please use tape to secure your poster to the wall at eye level. If your spot is on a window, please hang your poster with clips to the available line, or tape it at eye level to the window frame. DO NOT tape posters to the windows - there is a special coating on the glass that will be damaged. DO NOT use tape, tacks, or write on the foam-core boards.
- Attend your poster as much as you can during the active session times. Engage people in scholarly conversation about your research.
- Take down your poster no later than the Sunday after the sessions are over. Any poster material left in the lobby after Sunday evening will be thrown away. Have someone else take your materials down if you cannot be there.
- Thanks for participating. This should be a nice, low-stress way of presenting your work from the summer. As an added benefit, your advisor can use the poster and abstract as a qualifying work for nominating you to Sigma Xi, the scientific research honors society.
