1.

Deadline for Entry:  Registration at the following web address must be received by Friday, March 14, 2008 at 5:00 pm   -  http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/annualconference/posterreg.asp

You will register and upload your abstract on the website.  Students must submit his/her name, degree sought, department, advisor’s name and email address, and an abstract including title of the poster and authors.  An e-mail confirmation will be sent to the entrant to acknowledge receipt of registration and acceptance of the abstract.  (The web site will be closed for submission by the deadline. There will be no late submissions.)

2.

Knowledge Bank: A pdf file of all posters must be submitted to the OSU Knowldedge Bank by Friday, March 28, 2008 at 5:00 PM. To do this, you will need to register with the OSU Knowledge Bank (http://kb.osu.edu) prior to submission. Instructions can be found on the OARDC Library site (http://oardc.osu.edu/library/posters).

3.

Time:  Posters must be set up between 8:00 -  9:00 a.m., April 17, to be eligible. Posters to be set up in the North Exhibit Area of Fisher Auditorium, OARDC, Wooster Campus.  Access to the area will be from 8:00 am to 4:00 p.m, April 17.  Posters should remain up until 3:00 pm.  Posters must be removed immediately following the conference.

4.

Eligibility:  Competition is open to any currently enrolled M.S. or Ph.D. student, or those who received their graduate degrees after Spring Quarter, 2007, working on or supported by an OARDC or College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences supported project. Entrants may present only posters on original research they have conducted while at The Ohio State University.  Each entrant may present only one poster. 

5.

Awards:  First, second, and third place posters will be selected separately for the M.S and Ph.D. competitions. Awards will be $500 for first place, $300 for second place, and $150 for third place. Winners will be announced at the conference.

6.

Evaluation:  Award winners will be selected by consensus of a faculty committee. Due to time constraints, critiques of posters will not be provided. Evaluations will be based on presentation, content, and impact of the research. The diversity of the audience at this Conference should be considered when designing posters. Abbreviations should be kept to a minimum.

7.

Poster Size - one sided and laminated: no larger than 42" W x 23" H (two panel) or 42" H x 36" W (single panel).
Display boards and 1-inch straight pins for mounting will be provided for display of posters.

8.

Format:  Posters should include:

1. Title Banner ‑ with title, author(s), and department(s) ‑ Entrant must be first author.

2. Abstract - a maximum 250-word summary of the study and findings.

3. Introduction ‑ a clear and concise statement of the rationale, hypothesis, and justification for the project, the objectives of the research, and general approach.

4. Materials and Methods ‑ an outline of the key materials and methods defining how the experiment or study was conducted.

5. Results ‑ tables, figures, photos, etc., showing and documenting experimental findings and analyses.

6. Conclusions and Discussion ‑ statement of the conclusions from the study results and a brief explanation of the study’s scientific rigor, discoveries and their significance, and congruence or lack of with the body of scientific knowledge.

7. Acknowledgments and References ‑ brief acknowledgment of other contributors who are not authors, and key literature references to the study.

9.

Logos.  Poster may include an appropriate logo of the sponsoring organization, such as OSU, OARDC, a college or department.  Guidelines on the use of university logos may be found on the OSU website:  http://www.osu.edu/identity/marks.php and http://www.osu.edu/identity/logo.php

10.

Legibility:  All text and figures should be readable from a distance of 1 meter, including captions and figure legends. Illustrations should be relatively large with heavy lines. Colors may be used to accent features or visibility.

11.

Continuity: The presentation should be a coherent series of statements and supporting illustrations, with each leading to the next, which show the flow of the presentation and the progression of the study. 

12.

Attendance:  Students are requested to be in attendance at his/her poster to answer questions of conference participants during poster viewing times on April 17:  10:00 – 11:00 am.