2019 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
2019 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
The second annual undergraduate research symposium was held on Wednesday, April 26th, 2019 from 1-3pm MT in the CoorsTek building on Mines campus. This symposium provided a platform for undergraduate researchers to share their passion with the Mines community. Students from all disciplines were invited to present a poster.
All faculty, staff, and graduate students were encouraged to participate and interact with the presenters and explore the breadth of interdisciplinary research conducted by undergraduate students at Mines.
For questions and comments, please contact Undergraduate Research Scholars at ugresearch@mines.edu
Tips and Guidelines
Poster Presentation Guidelines
Please use the following information for preparing your poster to present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
- Please note that all posters must not exceed 48 inches in width (left to right) and 36 inches in height (top to bottom).
- Choose a lighter color for the poster background, preferably white. There are no other color restrictions for the text and images.
- Make sure the poster title and the author names are clearly identified. Choose a font size such that text on your poster is legible from at least 7 feet. Here is a recommendation for font sizes:
- 85 pt for the title
- 56 pt for the authors
- 36 pt for the subtitles
- 24 pt for the main text
- 18 pt for image captions
- Avoid using excessive text as it makes it difficult to follow the poster. Use appropriate graphics wherever possible as they can convey information effectively and make the poster look appealing.
- Please consult with your advisor when preparing the content of the poster. A general rule when preparing a poster is to make sure that the:
- Title effectively communicates subject matter
- Purpose/objectives clearly stated
- Applicability or relevance of work identified
- Concise explanation of methods/analysis used
- Methods used clearly conveyed
- Conclusions supported by data
- Funding sources acknowledged
- Boards will be provided at the conference location to display posters.
General Tips
Please note that the following information is general tips and not firm guidelines:
- Creating Your Content: When you distill your research into a poster ready format, first and foremost, please speak to your mentor. For additional help, you should consider scheduling an appointment at the Writing Center through their online scheduler: https://writing.mines.edu/
- Choosing a Program (to Create Your Poster): There are many programs you can use to create a poster ranging in costs and discoverability. Regardless, make sure the program you’re using allows you to create a custom document size (not to exceed 48 inches wide by 36 inches tall). Many researchers use Microsoft PowerPoint or Publisher because these are inexpensive and easy to use. You can also use more advance programs like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign; but, these can have a steep learning curve and tend to be very expensive. Some free, open source options include LibreOffice, Gimp, or Inkscape. Gimp and Inkscape also have a steep learning curve.
- Presenting Your Content: When you are preparing to present your content, make sure you are ready to discuss your content with a diverse audience. Some people might know a lot about your research while other might not know anything. Sometimes it can be helpful to consider the scientific method and how your research fits into this model when you are trying to articulate your research in a concise and effective manner.
- General Principles of Design: As you are laying out the content of your poster, consider the elements and principles of design. Spacing of content, flow of content, scale of font or images, and event color choices can either attract people to your poster or detract from your research. Consider posters you’ve seen in the past (in person or online) and think about what you liked or didn’t like about these posters. A little consideration for good design can go a long way. Look at the toggle above for some sizing recommendations.
Poster Printing
- After you are finished making the poster, save the poster in PDF format for printing. Make sure the PDF copy of poster looks good. We recommend doing a scaled down test print on an 8.5″x11″ sheet of paper to make sure your poster looks presentable.
- Once you receive an email indicating your abstract has been accepted, submit your poster for printing to ITS using the following instructions:
- Follow the following link: ITS Poster Printing Ticket
- Click the orange button, “Request Poster Print”. Fill out, “Name of Project/Poster” with your poster title, “Requestor” with your name, and “Dept” with “McBride”.
- Under “Select Payment Option”, select “Sponsored Group”. Under “Specify the group paying for the poster”, select “Undergraduate Research Symposium”. *There is no cost to print your first poster.*
- Lastly, under “Date and Time to Pick Up Requested Poster”, please give yourself enough time before the Symposium to pick it up and review it. Under “Poster Paper Widths Available” select the size of your PDF document. Most posters are 48 inches in width (left to right) and 36 inches in height (top to bottom).
Poster needs to be printed between April 12th and April 20th.
*One poster per presenter. If your poster needs to be reprinted because of a formatting error, you will be responsible to cover the charges for printing it the second time
Poster Presentation Guidelines
Please use the following information for preparing your poster to present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
- Please note that all posters must not exceed 48 inches in width (left to right) and 36 inches in height (top to bottom).
- Choose a lighter color for the poster background, preferably white. There are no other color restrictions for the text and images.
- Make sure the poster title and the author names are clearly identified. Choose a font size such that text on your poster is legible from at least 7 feet. Here is a recommendation for font sizes:
- 85 pt for the title
- 56 pt for the authors
- 36 pt for the subtitles
- 24 pt for the main text
- 18 pt for image captions
- Avoid using excessive text as it makes it difficult to follow the poster. Use appropriate graphics wherever possible as they can convey information effectively and make the poster look appealing.
- Please consult with your advisor when preparing the content of the poster. A general rule when preparing a poster is to make sure that the:
- Title effectively communicates subject matter
- Purpose/objectives clearly stated
- Applicability or relevance of work identified
- Concise explanation of methods/analysis used
- Methods used clearly conveyed
- Conclusions supported by data
- Funding sources acknowledged
- Boards will be provided at the conference location to display posters.
General Tips
Please note that the following information is general tips and not firm guidelines:
- Creating Your Content: When you distill your research into a poster ready format, first and foremost, please speak to your mentor. For additional help, you should consider scheduling an appointment at the Writing Center through their online scheduler: https://writing.mines.edu/
- Choosing a Program (to Create Your Poster): There are many programs you can use to create a poster ranging in costs and discoverability. Regardless, make sure the program you’re using allows you to create a custom document size (not to exceed 48 inches wide by 36 inches tall). Many researchers use Microsoft PowerPoint or Publisher because these are inexpensive and easy to use. You can also use more advance programs like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign; but, these can have a steep learning curve and tend to be very expensive. Some free, open source options include LibreOffice, Gimp, or Inkscape. Gimp and Inkscape also have a steep learning curve.
- Presenting Your Content: When you are preparing to present your content, make sure you are ready to discuss your content with a diverse audience. Some people might know a lot about your research while other might not know anything. Sometimes it can be helpful to consider the scientific method and how your research fits into this model when you are trying to articulate your research in a concise and effective manner.
- General Principles of Design: As you are laying out the content of your poster, consider the elements and principles of design. Spacing of content, flow of content, scale of font or images, and event color choices can either attract people to your poster or detract from your research. Consider posters you’ve seen in the past (in person or online) and think about what you liked or didn’t like about these posters. A little consideration for good design can go a long way. Look at the toggle above for some sizing recommendations.
Poster Printing
- After you are finished making the poster, save the poster in PDF format for printing. Make sure the PDF copy of poster looks good. We recommend doing a scaled down test print on an 8.5″x11″ sheet of paper to make sure your poster looks presentable.
- Once you receive an email indicating your abstract has been accepted, submit your poster for printing to ITS using the following instructions:
- Follow the following link: ITS Poster Printing Ticket
- Click the orange button, “Request Poster Print”. Fill out, “Name of Project/Poster” with your poster title, “Requestor” with your name, and “Dept” with “McBride”.
- Under “Select Payment Option”, select “Sponsored Group”. Under “Specify the group paying for the poster”, select “Undergraduate Research Symposium”. *There is no cost to print your first poster.*
- Lastly, under “Date and Time to Pick Up Requested Poster”, please give yourself enough time before the Symposium to pick it up and review it. Under “Poster Paper Widths Available” select the size of your PDF document. Most posters are 48 inches in width (left to right) and 36 inches in height (top to bottom).
Poster needs to be printed between April 12th and April 20th.
*One poster per presenter. If your poster needs to be reprinted because of a formatting error, you will be responsible to cover the charges for printing it the second time