2008 Research Symposium

Presentation Information

Students are invited to present their work in the areas of mathematics, computer science, engineering, the natural and the social sciences, in poster form. Please note that all attendees must register for the symposium ($25 per person) even if they are not a presenting author on a project. Registration for the banquet ($15 additional per person) is optional. The deadline for registration and submission of abstracts is Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 5:00 pm EST. Please use the "Symposium Registration" link on the left side of this page to do so. Payment information is included in the on-line registration system. Payment may be made by mail (for checks) in which case the envelope must be postmarked no later than March 26. Payment may also be made by credit card in the on-line registration system. Please contact Dr. Paul Angiolillo if you have any questions about registration and payment.

Abstract Information

Abstracts are to adhere to the following format requirements. All abstracts are to be submitted as Microsoft Word documents. They are to use 12 pt Times font with 1 inch margins. Abstracts are limited to one page. They are to have a header with the following information, all left justified:
First line – title
Second line – authors (last name, first initial for all authors. The faculty mentor(s) name to be underlined and the presenting author’s name to be followed by an asterisk)
Third line – Departmental affiliation
Fourth line – The name of the college/university
Fifth line – The city, state and zipcode of the college/university
(if multiple colleges/universities are involved, list each one, with its address. Superscript numbers can be used to identify which authors come from which institutions).
Leave one blank line between the header and the body of the abstract.

Poster Information

A poster presentation is both a visual and an oral presentation. We will provide an easel and poster board (48” x 48” square foam core). Push pins will be provided; please note that Velcro will NOT work with the poster boards provided. You will present your work at one of the two poster sessions, but the poster must be available for both. There are no set guidelines for a poster presentation. However, a picture is worth a thousand words, so try to present the bulk of your work in some graphical format (photographs, charts, graphs, flow diagrams, etc...). You do not want to have too much text. It is much better to write a brief introduction, a cogent description of your research plan, an executive summary of your results, and a brief conclusion. This minimum amount of text will be supported by your graphic elements, and by your verbal explanations. A poster may seem like an easier format (as opposed to a platform presentation) for presenting your scientific work, but this is not true. A delicate balancing act must be accomplished: using too much text will detract from the audiences enthusiasm for your work, using too little text may not allow the audience to grasp the extent of your work. Remember, the poster has to be able to stand on its own, and, at the same time, allow for the presenter to add interesting information. It is a good idea to work closely with your faculty mentor on the content of your poster. Give yourself ample time to outline the poster, create the text and graphics for the poster, arrange the information in a logical fashion, and then have your faculty advisor suggest changes for everything. One final note: use large font sizes for text (12 pt, Times New Roman may work well for a paper, but is a strain on the eyes for a poster). The deadline for registration and submission of abstracts is Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 5:00 pm EST. If you are a presenting author, click here to use the on-line registration system to upload your poster abstract file.