Presentation and Poster Guidelines

Instructions:

• We will provide poster boards, push-pins and easels. All material must be removable.
• You may not write, paint, or use paste on the board.
• Poster boards measure 36”x 48”. Posters cannot exceed this size.
• Posters may be either portrait or landscape oriented.
• You may bring your poster with you, ship it ahead, or have it printed locally.
  • Shipping your poster: If you are printing in advance and shipping to the conference, please ship it to yourself at the location where you are staying. If you are staying at the conference location, address your poster as follows:

The Royal Sonesta Harbor Court, Baltimore, Maryland
Attn: (your name) – Guest arriving (your arrival date)
550 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: (+1) 410-234-0550

• • If you wish to have your poster printed in Baltimore, there is a FedEx Office Print & Ship Center located 0.5 miles from the conference venue:
    • • Website: FedEx Office Print & Ship Center at 11 S Charles St
      • Address: 11 S Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201
      • Phone: (+1) 410-625-5862
      • Request a material that rolls up in a poster tube.
      • Price will range anywhere from $20 - $65 depending on how much color is in your design.
      • IMPORTANT: We suggest initiating your print request a week in advance to avoid delays.
• The poster session will take place in the Hotel Atrium area. You may set up your poster on Tuesday afternoon, 18 June from 2:50PM until 4:50PM
• After the poster session ends at 7:00PM, please move your poster and easel to the primary ballroom where it will stay on display throughout the conference.
• At the end of the conference on Thursday, 20 June, please take your poster with you.

Tips for Designing your Poster:

• A few recommendations are provided below to help improve and make your poster stand out:
  • Content: refers to the quality of the research presented on the poster. Below are a few criteria to consider:
    • The research question or knowledge gap is clearly defined with appropriate context-setting, motivation, and research objectives.
    • The findings are well substantiated by the methodology, data, and analysis.
    • The broader impacts of the research are clearly articulated.
    • Displayed materials should be self-explanatory, freeing you for discussion.
    • Originality: refers to the merit and novelty of the research in terms of research gaps, scope of work and methodology. Posters should show evidence that the author is conducting original work and not verifying already existing conclusions.
    • Original research often presents a new methodology or new knowledge by applying existing tools, frameworks, or methods to address relevant sustainability research gaps regarding engineering/science/management/social sciences/economics.
  • Visual Presentation: refers to the organization and layout of the content on the poster and the effectiveness of conveying the content
  • Content should be clear, concise, and coherently organized. Avoid excessive text generally. Title should be a good index to content; Abstract should provide an accurate synopsis of the content.
• Format considerations:
  • All posters should feature a title, your name, the name of the institution where the research was performed, and should credit other contributors as appropriate.
  • Content elements that will be expected include Abstract, Background/Introduction, Goal and Scope, Problem Description, Functional Unit, Assumptions, Methodology, Data Description, Allocation, Conclusions/Discussion, Acknowledgements. Not all elements will need their own sections.
  • Use a crisp, clean layout design. All lettering should be legible from about 5 feet (1.5 m) away.
  • Use poster stock. Thicker boards and heavy paper will be difficult to pin onto poster boards.
• Tips on poster graphics:
  • Make illustrations simple and bold, with captions.
  • Enlarge photos, tables, and charts to show pertinent details clearly.
  • Utilize other techniques to improve the graphic impact. Use color to add emphasis and clarity. Simplicity, ease of reading, etc., are more important than artistic flair.
  • Keep in mind that lighting may be dim inside large poster sessions, so make sure your contrasts and color combinations are easy to read.

Tips on Oral Presentation: 

• Oral presentation refers to the effectiveness of the presenter at verbally explaining the content on the poster and ability to demonstrate knowledge of the project work.
• As this conference is cross-disciplinary, consider preparing several different ways to present your poster for the different audiences you may have. Avoid using jargons generally.
• Do not tell the entire research history. Present only enough data to support your conclusions and show the originality of the work. Consider opening with a succinct description of motivation, problem, method, and major conclusions, followed by supporting details and a brief summary at the end.
• Be prepared to discuss the broader impacts of your research as this is often an overlooked but important area to highlight about your research.
• You may want to bring business cards or handouts of your abstract or copies of your data and conclusions to share with interested viewers. (Optional)
• Some authors also provide sign-up sheets to record names and addresses of attendees who might wish more information, reprints, etc. (Optional)

Judging

• During the poster session judges will be walking around to visit posters. Presenters should be prepared to give a 3 – 5 minute pitch to the judges with another 3 – 5 minutes for Q&A.
• Each poster will be reviewed by 2 – 4 judges, and scored based on content, originality, visual presentation and oral presentation.
• At the end of the poster session, judges will deliberate and tally the scores.
• Awards will be given based on the average scores and judges’ feedback.
• A scoring rubric from previous years is available for reference here.