Back to Top

Poster Instructions

The expectation for each student project is a research poster or presenation. Requests for additional display equipment should be submitted to Carol Donato (carol.donato@suny.edu) to be addressed to the event committee.  Such requests will receive the consideration of the entire event planning committee and the L.O.B. facilities staff.  Each campus may have up to 2 posters.

To assist you as you begin to organize your research poster please keep the following parameters in mind:

• The poster is to be no larger than 36" x 42". You can rotate the length/width as you like; however, the poster MUST fit into a 36" x 42" display space. Most printers can accommodate a 36" x 42" poster print job, as that is a standard size for their poster paper rolls.
• Contact a local or campus print shop to discuss how best to relay the finished project to them for printing. Most will ask that you transport the work to them via flash drive or CD some will even accept an e-mail attachment, or an upload to their web order site.
• Most will ask that your project is created in Microsoft Power Point, when setting up the document you will need to set the new document size to 36" x 42" depending again on the poster orientation.
• If you are considering something other than a poster, like a presentation that might take up additional space or need electric service, please contact Carol Donato (carol.donato@suny.edu).

Once you establish the proper protocol with your printer, please keep the following in mind:  ALL POSTERS MUST display the student name/names, faculty mentor name/names, SUNY campus name and the Project Title on the poster.

Elements of a good poster are not limited to the following suggestions:
     Introduction, Objectives, Materials and Methods, Results, Summary, Conclusions, Future Work.

These are suggestions for how to organize your poster.  You are encouraged to work drafts of the poster through your campus faculty advisor or liaison before you submit your final piece. 

Posters must be transmitted electronically AND you mush bring a hard copy of the poster to the February 26, 2013 event.

1. You should provide an electronic copy in PDF to your campus liaison.  The electronic format must be submitted by February 15, 2013.
2. You should transport the physical version of your poster to Albany and present it to the Registration table February 26, 2013.  Once there you will be assigned a display area and you will be given push pins to affix your poster to a display board.
3. The steering committee reserves the right to disqualify any poster that varies greatly in content between the PDF and the physical printed poster.  That is, students should finalize work on posters BEFORE February 15, 2013.
4. The graduate research/creative endeavor posters are displayed for the express purpose of enhancing the image and reputation of the University.  The University Faculty Senate and the steering committee are responsible for making the final determination as to which posters shall be exhibited or displayed.

Here is a sample of a display board  

The use of photos and graphs are nice additions to your final poster.  Caution, all type and photos must be large enough to be viewed by your audience.

AUDIENCE:  The audience shall consist of Elected Officials, CUNY and SUNY Administrative leaders, CUNY and SUNY faculty, fellow students and the general public.

PRESENTATION:  The presentation area at the Boosting the Power of SUNY:  A Celebration of Graduate Research will consist of wall/board space to hang a poster. Space for a table to hold a laptop or video monitor can be provided upon request.  Any supporting items (speical tables, computers, extension cords, or anything else) will NOT be provided. 

DRESS: You are encouraged to dress in a business to business casual manner as you are representing your school and SUNY at this event.

Finally, the links and videos below will also assist you as you begin to plan your Research poster.  Please take some time now to go over some of these links.

Please note that the following links were not created for Discovery:  An Undergraduate Showcase. All credit for their creation should go to the individuals or groups that created them.

SACNAS Video Presentation Tutorials and Student Examples

• Elements of a Successful Poster  
• Preparing a Successful Poster
• Presenting a Successful Poster

Please see visit the SACNAS Student Resources Page to view all the new SACNAS presentations videos and access more resources to improve your presentations.

Other useful resources for designing posters:

    http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/bio/posters.html

     http://www.abrcms.org/page05d.html

Finally, once you create your poster, please take care to transport it to the event, keep it dry and safe from harm.  You are advised to also prepare a short, effective presentation to compliment your poster, so when the SUNY Chancellor or your State Senator ask you for an overview of your project, you are prepared to explain in greater detail your project.