Final Project Poster Session - Math 08
Saturday, May 13, 6:30-9:30PM in Peirce 01

The Purpose of Poster Sessions in Science and Mathematics A poster session serves two main purposes: 1. It provides you with a chance to share your work with others. 2. It provides you with the opportunity to learn more about the work others have done. In short, the poster session is designed to foster communication between colleagues, allowing for scientists to become aware of the current research. Poster sessions evolved because of the fact that they allow for efficient dissemination of information. The Purpose of our Poster Session The purposes are actually the same! Keep this in mind when designing your poster. You should be thinking about how you can teach others about what you have learned in the most efficient way possible. General Suggestions for Creating a Successful Poster A poster should be self-explanatory, allowing different viewers to proceed on their own while the author is free to supplement or discuss particular points raised in inquiry. The poster session offers a more intimate forum for discussion than does a presentation, but discussion becomes difficult if the author is obliged to devote most of the time merely to explaining the poster to a succession of viewers. To this end, the author should include: I. A Title. Prepare a banner for the top of the poster indicating the topic presented and the author(s). Lettering in the title should be at least 1 inch high. II. An Introduction. Much like a paper, a poster should have an introductory paragraph that serves to inform the reader about the general nature of the project. The introduction should provide context for the project, and you'll want to make it interesting because most people will read this first. Try to capture your audience! III. Illustrations. Figures should be designed to be viewed from a distance, and should use clear, visible graphics. Although each figure should illustrate no more than one or two major points, figures need not be simple. The main points should be clear without extended viewing, but detail can be included for the aficionado. Remember that the time spent at each poster figure is determined by the viewer, not the author, as in the case of a talk. Each figure or table should have a heading of one or two lines in large type stating the "take-home" message. Detailed information should be provided in a legend in smaller type below. The figure legend should contain commentary that would normally appear in the body of a paper. It should describe concisely, not only the content of the figure, but also the conclusions that are derived. IV. Conclusion, Summary, or some other form of "Closure". The conclusion will depend on the nature of the project. For example, if you studied a specific model in your final project, you might choose to use the conclusion as a place to discuss possible improvements for the model. That is, the conclusion could serve as a "more to come" message. If you focused primarily on the mathematics (as opposed to the biological implications) then you might want to use the conclusion to present possible applications of the theory you studied. The Layout of a Poster Materials should be mounted on colored poster paper or board. You may want to group logically consistent sections or columns of the poster on backgrounds of the same color. Colors should be muted; shades of gray are effective. Do not use neon green! Arrange materials in columns rather than rows. It is easier for viewers to scan a poster by moving systematically along it rather than by zigzagging back and forth in front of it. An introduction should be placed at the upper left, and a conclusion or summary at the lower right. The "meat" should be in the middle.