The Office of Undergraduate Research Scholars & UHSP Presents

The 2022 Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium

Keynote Speaker: Joe Gray, PhD

Join us for the keynote address held by Joe Gray, professor emeritus, in Berthoud Hall Rm 241 at 3:10p MT, October 28th.

Joe Gray is a professor emeritus at the Oregon Health and Science University and the University of California, San Francisco, and chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Developing a Long-Term Strategy for the Low-Dose Radiation Research in the United States. Joe Gray is a Mines alumni who graduated from Mines in 1968 with a Physics degree.

Judge, Volunteer, and Presenter Form

Registration for student presenters is due October 9th 11:59pm. Registration for judges and volunteers will be rolling until the date of the symposium, October 28th.

The 2022 Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium will be held in person on Friday, October 28th. Poster presentations will take place in the Student Center, Ballrooms D and E, on Friday, October 28th at 2:00p-3:00p MT. There will be a keynote address held by Joe Gray, professor emeritus, in Berthoud Hall Rm 241 at 3:10p MT.

 

Please contact ugresearch@mines.edu with any questions or concerns.

More about the Symposium

Timeline

Final Registration Form for Student Presenters: October 9th, 2022

Final Registration Form for Judges & Volunteers: Rolling until filled

Posters Printed: October 12th through October 27th

Poster Presentations: Friday, October 28th, 2022; 2pm-3pm in Student Center, Ballrooms D&E

Keynote Address: Friday, October 28th, 2022 at 3:10 pm  in Berthoud 241 by Joe Gray, PhD

Further information may be announced closer to the symposium date.

 

If you are a student presenter, you must complete the registration form by October 9th, 2022 11:59pm. This form is where student presenters will submit their final project information and abstract. Once students submit a form, an email containing their abstract will be sent to their faculty mentor and any accompanying undergraduate student researchers they listed in the form. Students must revise their work thoroughly and get approval from their mentor and any accompanying undergraduate student researchers before submitting. The information students submit in the final form will be featured in the printed Undergraduate Research Symposium Booklet of Abstracts and will be published to this website following the Symposium.

Students DO NOT need to submit a copy of their poster in the final form, but their poster should also be approved by their mentor before they send the poster to print. Please select the toggles below to learn more about guidance for poster recommendations and how to submit a poster to be printed.

Please note, there should be one application per project. If several undergraduate students worked in the same research group on the same project and they plan on presenting at the Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium, the students should collaborate and submit one application and print one poster.

about the symposium

The 2022 Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium will be held in person on Friday, October 28th. Poster presentations will take place in the Student Center, Ballrooms D and E on Friday, October 28th at 2:00p-2:50p MT. There will be a keynote address by Joe Gray, professor emeritus, in Berthoud Hall Rm 241 at 3:00p MT. Refreshments will be provided. All faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to join us in celebrating our hardworking undergraduate researchers and their dedicated mentors!

For the first time, undergraduate student researchers who conducted research over the summer are invited to display their work in person at Mines. This unique opportunity gives emerging researchers the chance to mingle with peers, share their hard work with a larger audience, and build their portfolio. Undergraduate students from all disciplines are invited to participate as presenters. Everyone is invited to explore the breadth of interdisciplinary research conducted by researchers at Mines.

Cash prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The 2022 award winners will be announced following the poster session on Tuesday, April 19th.

For further information, please contact the office of Undergraduate Research Scholars at ugresearch@mines.edu

information for Judges and volunteers

Who’s eligible to be a judge or volunteer?

We encourage judges and volunteers from all departments to partake in this event. All interested faculty, staff, and graduate students are encouraged to judge and/or volunteer. Undergraduate student presenters are encouraged to present their research in a way that communicates their project effectively regardless of their audience’s background.

What is the time commitment of a judge or volunteer?

It depends. Generally, judging will take a half-hour to hour total (or about 15-20 minutes per project). Student presentations are fairly short, but judges may have additional questions before ranking the poster or oral talk. As for volunteers, the time commitment depends on how much time you are able to spare. Our office will need the most help during set-up and clean-up Friday.

How will student projects be evaluated?

Student projects will be evaluated differently depending on the format with which they chose to visually represent their work. Rubrics might ask judges to evaluate qualities such as visual organization, delivery, introduction, methods, conclusions, discussion, and interaction.

What do student participants receive if they win?

Awarded student participants will receive cash prizes ranging in value. Cash prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The 2022 award winners will be announced following the poster session on Monday, October 31st.

What is the judging and volunteer timeline?

Judging will take place during poster presentations on Friday, October 28th, 2:00p-2:50p. During judging, we ask all participating judges to ask questions. Students ability to summarize and explain their research will be factored into judging. The office of Undergraduate Research Scholars and volunteers will tally judging votes and announce the award winners on Monday, October 31st.

For further information, please contact the office of Undergraduate Research Scholars at ugresearch@mines.edu

guidelines, tips, & resources

How to print a poster at Mines

The Office of Undergraduate Research Scholars will cover the cost of the first poster printed by student researchers presenting at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. Though you can order your poster to be printed anytime via the HelpDesk ticket system, there is a rigid timeline in which your poster must be printed. All posters must be printed between October12th and October 27th. Please follow the instructions below carefully:

  • After you are finished making your poster, save it with a PDF file extension formatted for printing. Poster files should not be larger than 20mb. Prior to submitting a HelpDesk ticket, make sure your 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, legible, and the color is accurate.
  • Once you have completed the final registration form, submit your poster for printing to ITS using the following instructions:
    1. Follow the link to the HelpDesk ticket for poster printing: ITS Poster Printing Ticket
    2. Click the orange button, “Request Poster Print”. Fill out, “Name of Project/Poster” with your poster title, “Requestor” with your name, and “Acct/Dept” with “Student”.
    3. Under “Select Payment Option”, select “Sponsored Group”. Under “Specify the group paying for the poster”, select “Undergraduate Research Symposium”. If you follow these steps, there is no cost to print your first poster. 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.
    4. 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. Posters cannot be any larger than 48 inches in width (left to right) and 36 inches in height (top to bottom).
  • Once you have printed your poster, we encourage you to drop it off at our office (1704 Illinois St. Rm 105) for safe keeping until the Symposium. This step is optional but will help our office better prepare for the symposium.
Tips when creating a poster presentation

Save your poster with a .pdf file extension. When you create your poster, also consider how you might verbally present your research. How you talk about your research to passersby should compliment your poster. Please view both the “Creating your Poster” and the “Talking About your Research” section of this toggle for general guidance. If you would like to view examples of posters, we encourage you visit our 2021 Virtual Undergraduate Research Symposium Project Gallery or search for additional examples online.

 

Creating your Poster

  • 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. Generally, effective posters include:
    • Title that 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
  • 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.
  • Height & Width: Posters printed at Mines should not exceed 48 inches in width (left to right) and 36 inches in height (top to bottom) at 72 – 300 DPI. Posters should be legible form a few feet away.
  • Color: It is recommended you choose a lighter color for the poster background, preferably white. There are no other color restrictions for the text and images.
  • Font: Make sure the poster title and the author names are clearly identified. Choose a font size such that text on your poster is legible when looked at from a distance. 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
  • General Principles of Design: 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.

 

Talking About Your Research

  • Length: The length of time you spend talking about your research will vary, but it’s advisable to prepare an elevator pitch to briefly summarize your research. Generally, this is a 1-2 minute summary discussing the most important and interesting parts of your project in a way that anyone can understand.
  • Content: How you talk about your research should be planned and practiced. Keep it concise and make sure to touch on the tacit points of your research. Be mindful of your audience and pacing. The best poster presentations invite questions while still breaking down your research for an audience that might know very little about your project. Try answering the question, “What is your research about?” and “Why is it interesting?” in a way that makes sense to researchers and non-researchers alike.