Poster Guidelines for EPA Fellowship Conference
Every Fellow is required to prepare an e-file poster about their Fellowship research. Please do so by using the attached template and these guidelines. Please remember to PROOFREAD!!!
NOTE: These posters will be read by non-scientists, workgroups, and congressional liaisons.
THE SUBSTANCE
Posters should be designed to convey information in an easy-to-view format, conducive to walk-through traffic, and should include the following:
- The environmental issue being addressed.
- The scientific approach to resolving the issue.
- Interdisciplinary work done in both conducting the research and applying the results.
- The impact that your research has made or is expected to make on the issue.
Information for the poster should include the following:
- General Information. Across the top, provide your name, degree (e.g., M.A. or Ph.D.), school, and city/state of the school.
- Overview or Abstract. Include a brief abstract (for general public reading) describing the focus of the research, why these research questions are of interest, and the research approach (e.g., main research projects or disciplines). Estimate 150-175 words.
- Research Highlights. Describe the research project. Write a project description appropriate for a lay audience. Emphasize the findings and include colorful graphics. Also, include a concise statement of the impact or importance of the research (e.g., please look at Leslie Hopkinson's or Edward Mager's poster). Note: Poster orientation will be vertical, not horizontal (as was done in 2004).
POSTER SIZE
If you are using this template, we would like the final printed poster to be at least 40" high x 30" wide, plus or minus an inch.
Because PowerPoint limits the size of a page, this template page setup is 18" x 12". You can prepare the file at these dimensions, then use the “scale to print” feature of the poster printer driver to produce the larger size.
POSTER STYLE
Font size for the top line that includes your name and school is already set in the template (please do not change the template fonts).
For the body of the poster, use upper/lower case Arial for the header, subheads, and body text.
- Header font size – 36 point
- Subhead font size – 24 point
- Body text – 14 point
FYI: Any charts or graphs prepared in PowerPoint should print in a larger size without being distorted. Bitmap files or low resolution files will be fuzzy when printed at a larger scale. It is best to use high resolution files for pictures, charts, graphs, etc.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
You will not be printing a copy of your poster. You will provide this poster document as an e-file only. This will be the first year that no Fellowship Conference Program Guide will be printed. Instead, the entire 2009 Fellowship Conference Program Guide will be made accessible only by e-file/Internet.
All of the currently active Fellows are expected to attend the September 21-22, 2009, STAR Fellowship Conference in Washington, DC. You will need to register online for the conference. Also, you will need to make your own reservations for your personal accommodations. You can stay with friends, family, or a hotel of your own choice. We have asked a local hotel to set aside a number of rooms at a reduced rate for your consideration and the registration Web site will provide that information. You can also use our registration Web site to arrange sharing accommodations with other Fellows.
Every Fellow is required to provide us with an e-file poster, an e-file face picture (without hats and sunglasses), your current e-mail address, your current mailing address with Zip code, your current telephone number, title of your research, name of your school (including city and state), and title of your Department’s Discipline. In addition, you are asked to draft a separate abstract describing your research in scientific terms geared to viewing by other EPA Fellows and Faculty. Please limit this special draft to 150-175 words. All items will be submitted as separate e-files.
Key Deadlines: All items requested above, including your registration, are due as soon as possible but no later than May 31, 2009. Our goal is to have the entire Program Guide up on the Internet for you to review by Memorial Day. After that date, you will receive a list of Fellows’ names. During June and early July, you will be required to review their posters online and critique them by answering a set of questions for each poster. Your review in e-file form will be uploaded to a designated Internet space.
We will have information posted about three special discussion sessions to be held during the conference: (1) Microbiological Response to Environmental Challenges; (2) Community-Based Research; and (3) Discussion on Ecosystems. Because space in each session is limited, we will fill each session on a first-registered basis until we hit a specific room number limitation. Every Fellow attending the conference needs to be in one of the three sessions.
Poster Session on Capitol Hill: Every Fellow is invited to attend a special reception held in our honor on Capitol Hill, Monday evening. We will be exhibiting about 20 of the posters at that time. The e-files that will be selected for this purpose will be printed by EPA staff for posting at this special reception. If your poster is selected, you will be notified in advance so that you can prepare and plan to stand next to your poster to discuss its content with visitors.
Required Attendance: All Fellows are required to attend all of the sessions during the 2-day Fellowship Conference. Leaving early is not an option. For West Coast Fellows, please plan your return trip for the next day after the close of the conference. We have a block of 30 overnight rooms at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center for Sunday, September 20, 2009, and Monday, September 21, 2009. We have an additional 10 overnight rooms for Tuesday, September 22, 2009. These rooms are booked on a first-come, first-served basis.
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