Contact

Program Chair

Doug Tougaw

219-464-5027

doug.tougaw@valpo.edu

Undergraduate Poster Chair

Carmine Polito

219-464-6985

carmine.polito@valpo.edu

K-12 Outreach Program Chair

Eric Johnson

219-464-5176

eric.johnson@valpo.edu

Student Poster Competition Instructions

Purpose

The purpose of the Student Poster Competition is to:  

1) Recognize students and give them the opportunity to:  

- Practice their visual, written, and oral communication skills in a professional/conference environment

- Share their research/project work with students and faculty from other institutions 

2) Improve the visibility of student efforts; 

3) Recognize excellence in student projects; and 

4) Promote the sharing and exchange of ideas about projects and undergraduate research amongst the members in the Section. 

Poster Specifications

Posters will be mounted on vertical poster boards with that are four feet high by six feet wide, and have a cork mounting surface.  Teams should plan to make their posters fit within a 3 ½’ (high) x 5 ½’ (wide) space on the poster boards.  Participants should plan to use pushpins to mount their poster.  Students may use one poster per group.  ALL MATERIAL SHALL FIT ON THE POSTER BOARDS IN THE SPACE PROVIDED.  Unless otherwise arranged for (see below), the poster board will be the only area for presenting student material.

Special Requests:

Any student teams requiring a table-top display or other special requirements (e.g. use a laptop) should contact the meeting coordinator Doug.Tougaw@valpo.edu at least two weeks prior to the meeting to make a request.

Judging Procedures and Criteria

Each abstract and poster presentation shall be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

ABSTRACT (both the first and final submission): 

• Clearly stated problem (purpose and significance); 

• Clearly explained project, with an engineering/engineering technology emphasis; 

• Clearly explained results; 

• Abstract organization. 

POSTER:

1) Engineering/Engineering Technology Content 

• Emphasis on the use of engineering/engineering technology to solve the problem; 

• Focus on a well-defined engineering/engineering technology problem; 

• Clearly presented overall engineering/engineering technology problem and solution approach. 

2) Organization 

• A clear and concise problem statement; 

• Logical organization, with a clear flow of ideas between headings; 

• Use of color and design to draw attention to major ideas. 

3) Text

• An appropriate sized text for viewing from a comfortable distance

    (font selection and size should be such that the text is legible from three to four feet away); 

• Sufficient content to facilitate viewer understanding of the problem importance;

• Quickly and easily understood methods, results, and conclusions; 

• Adequate details convey the main idea; 

• Utilization of proper grammar and correct sentence structure. 

4) Visuals 

• Appropriate visuals to communicate the subject material; 

• No unnecessary visuals to complicate the interpretation of crucial ideas; 

• Attractive, high quality visuals; 

• Self-explanatory visuals. 

COMMUNICATION 

• Clear and concise project explanation;

• Clear and concise responses to questions. 

Logistics

Students should plan to register early Saturday morning, to leave ample preparation and setup time.  Posters should be displayed prior to the 10:00 AM Morning Break.  Students are required to be present from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm (during the student poster session) and posters must remain on display until 4:15 pm.  Students should remove posters after 4:15 pm.  Awards will be given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place overall.  Winners will be announced - and awards distributed - during the Saturday Awards Banquet.

Student Registration and Cost

Students who participate in the poster competition will be expected to register for the conference.  Students may register at the ‘without meals’ rate of $25 or the ‘with meals’ rate of $45.  While students are encouraged to attend the entire conference, they are not required to stay for its entirety.

Awards

Awards will be given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place overall in the student poster competition and will be announced and distributed at the Awards Banquet on Saturday evening.