What does presenting at SURC entail?

You will be part of a large “poster session.” Presenters stand by posters highlighting their work at poster sessions while attendees circulate the room, view the posters, and engage the presenters in dialogue.

 

You do not need to prepare a formal talk, but we recommend you think in advance about the types of questions you might receive from attendees about your project and potential responses to those questions.

 

Think through a brief (1-2 minute) summary of the project in advance, as it is common for attendees at poster sessions to begin a conversation with a presenter by requesting an overview of the presenter’s project.

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What topics should be covered by my poster?

Your poster should do the following:

• Identify the core question or problem that your project engages.

• Make clear how the project relates to the broader literature in your field.

• Describe the methods used.

• Share key results from your project. 

• Comment on the implications of your results for our understanding.

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What guidelines should I follow when designing my poster?

Please see the section on poster design below.

 

When I prepare my poster and think about answering questions from attendees, what type of audience(s) should I have in mind?

Like your abstract for the event, your poster should be prepared with an audience of specialists in your academic field in mind, but you should be particularly careful to avoid extraneous references to discipline-specific jargon, concepts, etc. that would be barriers to non-specialists' understanding. The goal is for you to have the experience of developing a poster that would be appropriate for presentation at an academic conference in your field, while also reflecting on how to make your work as accessible as possible given that constraint. 

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Attendees at the SURC poster session will come from a wide range of fields. As you prepare for the event, you should consider how to explain your project to people from a wide range of perspectives, ranging from an expert in your field to someone with little knowledge of it. 

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Who should I ask for feedback on my poster before I finalize it?

Please ask your research advisor to comment on your poster. At the time you request feedback, please also ask your advisor whether they would support its publication in our online repository of SURC posters. If they do not support the poster's publication online, you should not upload it to the repository. You can still participate in the event regardless of whether you share your poster in the repository. (You can find more information about uploading materials to the repository in the "Participating in SURC" section of this site.)

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If you also worked with a graduate student or other senior researcher on your project, we strongly recommend that you ask them for feedback, too. Bear in mind that all requests for feedback should be sent well in advance of the date that you plan to finalize your poster.

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