The department will host a fall poster competition to showcase and reward the exemplary research and student activities happening in EME. Remember, you can present more than just research on a poster. Internships, capstone projects, club activities, and other educational experiences can be poster topics, too.
Entries will be posted in an online gallery on the EME website for judging and displayed at a live poster exhibition on Thursday, October 29, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., where presenters can answer questions and discuss their work, and winners will be announced.
All students, faculty, staff, and administration are invited to attend the exhibition.
What can you win?
- First place poster: $1,000
- Second place poster: $750
- Third place poster: $500
Eligibility: To enter the exhibition, you must be a registered undergraduate or graduate student in a major in the Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering and be in good academic standing.
SUBMIT YOUR POSTER AND VIDEO - Submission Deadline: NOON on Friday, Oct. 16.
Poster Contest Guidelines
- You must use an EME Poster Template layout for your poster. Download the PowerPoint template.
- The templates offer various layouts and commonly used section headings. You do not need to use all the section headings in your poster.
- Limit the Introduction/Abstract to 75-100 words. It should not dominate your poster.
- Proofread and edit your poster carefully.
Posters will be judged on their quality in four areas:
- Content: The poster should demonstrate careful design and execution and present clear, well-interpreted results. Text and graphics should be intended for a general audience. When applicable, the poster should include: (1) a clear, descriptive title; (2) student's name (or names, if more than one student is presenting the exhibit); (3) collaborators, advisor(s), and department(s); (4) objectives/goals; (5) methods/experiences; (6) results/findings; (7) significance to the field, to society in general, or to your education and career; (8) directions for future work; (9) acknowledgements that include funding sources and proof of regulatory committee approval, as needed.
- Organization/Clarity: Poster dimensions are set at 3 feet high by 4 feet wide (36” x 48”). The poster should attract attention and convey information. Use simple language and keep descriptions brief. Avoid jargon, and define necessary technical terms. Spelling and grammar must be correct. All text should be large enough to be read from a distance of 4 to 6 feet. Photographs, drawings, charts, tables, or graphs should be simple, well organized, and carefully chosen to quickly explain technical concepts to a wide audience. Your topic should be clear, and the poster layout should be logical, providing sequential information from introduction to conclusion and references.
- Appearance/Design: Posters should be visually appealing and strongly effective. They should be easy to read and use creativity in fonts, headings, colors, and white space.
- Presentation: Each student should prepare and record an oral discussion of his or her poster, tailored specifically to make the work understandable to a non-expert audience. This discussion should be clear and concise and should include the major points presented on the poster. It must not exceed five minutes. If the student worked with collaborators on the project, including his or her advisor, this presentation should clearly describe the student's role in the overall project.
The specific things that judges will look for in your oral presentation include:
- Completeness: all the major points articulated, e.g. explanations of research questions, background, process and techniques, results, as well as the role(s) of student(s) in the overall project if students work with collaborators
- Confidence: make eye contact and speak in a clear, professional manner
- Clarity: articulating ideas clearly and logically and keeping the audience’s attention throughout the presentation
- General Audience: that your presentation is geared to a general audience
- Timing: presentation does not last more than five minutes
Submitting Your Poster and Talk
- Use Zoom to record your poster talk. Share your screen with the poster file while you record your video in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
- Talks can be no longer than 5 minutes. Time yourself and practice before making your final recording.
- When you are happy with your talk video, copy the URL for the file from Zoom to share in the submission form, and make sure that your settings allow us to download the video:
- Log in to Zoom: https://zoom.psu.edu/
- Click on “Recordings and Transcripts” on the left-hand toolbar.
- Go to the video you are submitting and click the “Share…” button on the right.
- Use the "Who can view" dropdown to choose, "Everyone with the recording link"
- Click on "Share Settings" at the bottom of the box
- Make sure there is a checkmark next to “Viewers can download” and "Viewers can see transcript"
- Click "Save"
- Copy the "Shareable Link" for the recording and submit that URL on the submission form.
- Also before the submission deadline, please complete a video release form. Under “Event or Activity,” write “2026 EME Student Poster Competition.”
- Your poster and talk will be included in an online poster gallery on the EME website for judging. Competition judging will be done using the videos/poster files prior to the live event.
- The live poster exhibition will be held from 3:00 to 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 29, where we will display your printed posters, and you can be available to discuss your work with exhibition attendees. We will announce contest winners at the reception.
Resources
- Science Communication in Earth and Mineral Sciences: https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/c.php?g=821826&p=5891287