The Poster Section of the Penn State Altoona Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fair is designed for undergraduate students whose projects are best conveyed in poster form. Individual and collaborative entries are acceptable. However, participants in a winning collaboration must split the prize money.

Content

The exhibit must include:

  • Student name (or names, if more than one student is presenting the exhibit)
  • Collaborators, adviser(s), and department(s)
  • A short title of the exhibit
  • Funding sources (if applicable)
  • Proof of regulatory committee approval (if the project involves human participants or animal subjects or biohazardous materials)
  • Objectives
  • Significance to the field
  • Significance to society in general
  • Methods
  • Results, interpretation of results and conclusions, limitations of research, and directions for future research if the project is completed. Creative exhibits must include discussion of meaning and/or reflections on the body of work exhibited.

Display

The core of each exhibit is a poster with text and graphics intended for a general audience. Use of laptop computers is not permitted as part of the exhibit.

  • Table top easels to display posters will be provided.
  • Posters must be attached to the board with tacks (tacks will be provided).
  • The table top easels on which you will be posting your posters have 84 x 40 amount of posting space; consult with your professor for the optimal size for your poster.
  • Poster should attract attention and convey important information about the project.
  • Language should be simple and descriptions brief. Excessive jargon should be avoided; necessary technical terms should be defined.
  • Spelling and grammar must be correct.
  • Photographs, drawings, charts, tables, or graphs should be simple, well organized, carefully chosen, and helpful in explaining complicated concepts to a wide audience.
  • All text should be large enough to be read from a distance of 4 to 6 feet away.
  • Limited table top space is available to each entrant and may be used to display supporting materials such as bibliographies, reports, models, artifacts, etc.
  • Free campus printing options will be announced after submissions are accepted.

Oral Presentation

  • Each student should prepare to describe and discuss his or her exhibit; the goal is to make the work understandable to a non-expert audience.
  • Descriptions should be clear and concise, and should include the major points presented on the poster.
  • Presentation must not exceed 5 minutes; judges will be instructed to observe this time limit. Note: A videotape or demonstration cannot be submitted for the discussion.

In cases where the student worked with collaborators, including his or her adviser, the presentation should clearly describe the student's role in the overall project.

Please complete and submit the following form. Please type information. NO HANDWRITTEN SUBMISSIONS. Turn this form in to Dr. Laura Rotunno, office Hawthorn 210, mailbox Hawthorn 203, by noon, 1 March.

Personal Information

  • Penn State Student ID:
  • First Name:
  • Last Name:
  • Semester Standing:
  • Major:
  • Email:

Additional Exhibitor Information

If this project was collaborative between you and other students, please give the following information about those students below (if this information does not apply, please leave these fields blank):

  • Penn State Student ID:
    Name:
    Semester Standing:
    Email:
    Major:
  • Penn State Student ID:
    Name:
    Semester Standing:
    Email:
    Major:

Project Adviser Information

Please give the following information about your project adviser:

  • First Name:
    Last Name:
    Department:
    Email:

Second Project Adviser Information

If you had a second project adviser, please fill in his/her information below:

  • First Name:
    Last Name:
    Department:
    Email:

CITI/SARI Training

Have you completed the CITI/SARI online course required of undergraduates performing independent research (beyond coursework) that may lead to, or be included in, a publication or be disseminated to a scientific audience at a research exhibition, scientific meeting or conference?
Yes or No

If Yes, please indicate the professor who directed you to undertake this online course:

If No, please indicate the professor with whom you discussed this requirement. Please know that such a discussion MUST occur and that faculty who supervise undergraduate research should determine whether their students’ activities constitute research as defined by Penn State:

Project Information

Please fill in the following information about your project

Area Of Entry: (Most related to your project, not necessarily your major) Circle one:

  • Arts and Humanities
  • Behavioral Sciences
  • Business
  • Computing/Information Technology
  • Engineering
  • Health and Life Sciences
  • Mathematics
  • Physical Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Visual and Performing Arts
  • Internships

Title of Project:

Project Abstract (not to exceed 250 words):