Wednesday, November 1

• 12 – 3 p.m. | Registration and check-in
• 3 – 3:30 p.m. | Opening Ceremony
• 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Keynote Speaker
• 4:30 – 5:15 p.m. | Open Forum for Presenters
• 6 – 8 p.m. | Welcome reception at the venue

Thursday, November 2

• 6:30 – 8 a.m. | Breakfast
• 8 – 9 a.m. | General session, speaker 1
• 9 – 10 a.m. | General session, speaker 2
• 10 – 10:30 a.m. | Coffee/Tea/Water Break
• 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. | World Café (research-based activity for presenters)
• 12 – 2 p.m. | Lunch
• 2 – 2:15 p.m. | Exhibitor booth and poster set up – Group 1
• 2:15 – 3:45 p.m. | Poster presentation – Group 1
• 3:45 – 4 p.m. | Poster set up – Group 2
• 4 – 5:30 p.m. | Poster presentation – Group 2
• 5 – 6 p.m. | Distribution of participation certificates – Groups 1 & 2

Friday, November 3

• 6:30 – 8 a.m. | Breakfast
• 8 – 8:15 a.m. | Poster set up – Group 3
• 8:15 – 9:45 a.m. | Poster presentation – Group 3
• 9:45 – 10 a.m. | Poster set up – Group 4
• 10 – 11:30 a.m. | Poster presentation – Group 4
• 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Closing Ceremony
• 12:15 – 1 p.m. | Distribution of participation certificates – Groups 3 & 4

Our conference theme is ‘What’s Research Without Data: Building Foundations for Undergraduate Research and Raising the Bar for Tomorrow.’ Gathering data to undertake research should be a fun experience for all undergraduate students. Students are motivated to learn when they are engaged in data collection to investigate a topic of their choice. Instruction that is tailored to our students’ learning requirements and interests enables our undergraduate students to excel in learning data collecting, which is required for all types of research. We aim to provide an excellent opportunity for undergraduate presenters to share their findings and benefit from each other’s work at our inaugural annual poster session conference. The central theme, ‘What’s Research Without Data’ focuses on the importance of data as the foundation of research, providing empirical evidence needed to support hypotheses, draw conclusions, and make informed decisions. This session will also serve to derive significant insights and contribute to improvements in multiple fields of study, laying the groundwork for undergraduate research and raising the bar for tomorrow.

We hope that the poster session will provide answers to the following questions:

• How can we engage all undergraduate students to collect data for meaningful research?
• How can we establish research-based environments that encourage student engagement and interest in research?
• What are the different data collection methods necessary for conducting qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods research?
• How do we foster student-faculty collaboration to participate in funded research initiatives that encourage learning and engagement?
• What research objectives should we explore to ensure that all students achieve their full potential by focusing on engagement and learning requirements?

We look forward to student engagement, collaboration, contribution, and exchange of innovative ideas at our inaugural poster session conference for our undergraduates, the budding researchers.

‘(RE)Imagine, (RE)Create, (RE)Search and Raise the Bar for Tomorrow.’

Thank you for your interest in presenting at the 2023 Saint Augustine’s University Annual Meeting for all undergraduate researchers. This year’s theme is ‘What’s Research without Data: Building Foundations for Undergraduate Research and Raising the Bar for Tomorrow.’

The information requested is essential for consideration of your proposal.

Please note the following:

• Each university can submit no more than two proposals.
• Each proposal should have no more than three presenters.

In your proposal submission form, please provide the following information:

Primary and Co-Presenters Contact Information

− First and Last Name

− Class Level (Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior)

− Email

− Institution’s City

− Institution’s State (abbreviations only)

Please attach the contact information for all presenters (primary and co-presenters) in a tabular manner to the Proposal Submission Form. Please complete all sections of the form and submit it no later than September 30th, 2023.

Proposal Details

• Session Title: Provide a title that clearly describes the session and enhances interest (maximum 70 characters).

• Proposal description: The introduction with statement of purpose should not be more than 500 characters.

• Narrative: Provide a clear and concise description of your proposed session in the narrative section of the form. Please ensure that it clearly summarizes the subject to be delivered and piques the reader’s curiosity. This information will be included in the conference program. (No more than 1000 characters).

  • Relevance of the Topic and its Appropriateness to the Theme: Make a persuasive argument for this topic to be included in the Annual Meeting program. Make sure to discuss the topic’s relevance to the subject of higher education as well as its connection with the conference theme.

  • Organization of the Session: Include realistic deadlines and descriptions for each segment/topic in your outline of the content to be addressed during your session. It is critical that the material in this area be concise and corresponds to the title, description, participant learning outcomes, and learning activities (where relevant).

  • Participant Learning Outcomes: Determine what participants should take away from your session. Make certain that the outcomes are realistic, well-stated, and in line with the session description, organization, and learning activities (if appropriate). Also, be certain that the outcomes accurately represent what participants will gain from the session.

  • Target Audience: Describe your target audience as succinctly as possible.

  • Have you presented a session on this or a similar topic at a previous Poster Session Annual Meeting hosted by other institutions? (Yes or no). If “Yes,” how will you make changes to this year’s presentation or use comments from previous evaluations to improve your session.

• Content Level: Select the appropriate content level that best describes this session.

  • Beginner content: This is intended to cover fundamental concepts in higher education.

  • Intermediate content: Intermediate content is aimed to cover theory and practice in higher education.

Presenter Bios

Provide a brief biographical sketch of each presenter. This information should include any research related experience, and educational background. Please review for typos and grammatical errors. This will be published. Please limit your response to 50 words or less.

Theme for next year

We would like to receive suggestions for next year’s theme for undergraduate research. Consenting to send a suggestion offers you a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Three participants will be randomly selected from those who have sent suggestions with email address. The gift card information will be emailed to the winners by late November.

If you have any questions, please contact Rking@st-aug.edu or Isingh@st-aug.edu

Posters will be attached to portable boards supplied by SAU. You may attach one poster with dimensions no larger than 48” by 36” that will fit on the portable board. Please note that pins, thumbtacks, or any other material needed to affix the poster to the wall or board must be provided by the presenter(s).

Prepare a brief talk about your research. This should be an unforgettable experience or insight you had about your research/topic that adds dimension to what attendees may read on your poster. Consider your poster session’s audience carefully. Your talk should be in simple words and without any jargon. Prepare to answer questions regarding your poster as well. Start with the introduction which includes purpose on the upper left, finish with the conclusion & recommendations and references on the lower right, with research questions, Limitations on the upper right, methods, results and graphics filling the central space. Acknowledgement and e-mail address at lower bottom space. It should be a balance of visuals and text. Use short sentences, simple words, and bullets to illustrate your points. Avoid using jargon, acronyms, or unusual abbreviations. Use a non-serif font (e.g., Arial) for the poster. The poster (text and graphics) should be easily readable from about 2 meters. As a thumb rule, the text should be readable if the poster is printed out on an A4 sheet. Since there will be many other posters, you must make sure your poster is interesting and visually slick. Your presentation should not be for more than 30 minutes.

Your poster should be an outline of your study/work as an intern, research assistant, or independent researcher, with insightful comments about what you learned along the way. If you are presenting a study of your mentor or worked under a faculty member, please remember to include the name of the mentor or faculty member in the acknowledgements. The following guidelines should be followed for preparing a poster.

Title: Place the title at the top and should be in large fonts to attract potential viewers. The title should not be more than 70 characters.

Introduction: Get your viewer interested about the issue or question while using the absolute minimum of background information and definitions. Put the purpose of your study at the end of your introduction.

Research Questions: Provide not more than two research questions.

Methods: Be short, but precise. State what study design you used and define your study population as well as data collection method. Mention statistical, laboratory and other methods that were used for analysis.

Results: Briefly provide descriptive results (response rate, age, and sex distribution). Present data that more specifically addresses the hypothesis (if any) and refers to supporting charts or images. Tables and graphs should stand on their own.

– A minimal amount of text materials should supplement the graphic materials.

– Use regions of empty space between poster elements to differentiate and accentuate these elements.

– Graphic materials should be readable at 1.5-2.0 meters. The font size should be at least 1 cm high. Lines in illustrations should be larger than normal.

– Use colors for emphasis, but do not overuse (2-3 colors are usually enough). Avoid using patterns or open bars in histograms.

– Remove all non-essential information from graphs and tables.

– Graphics and tables should have a complete title and legend.

Limitations: Shortcomings of the study if any.

Conclusion and recommendations: Comment on main results and discuss why they are conclusive and interesting. Discuss potential biases. What are your recommendations?

Acknowledgments/further information: Thank individuals for specific contributions to project; mention who has provided funding. Provide your e-mail address for further information.

Presenters(s) name: and Affiliation: List the primary author’s name first, followed by other presenters. Include your department or program and institution.

E-mail address: Provide your email address for future networking.

Note: A layout of the poster has been attached for reference.

Remember, a poster presentation is substantially less formal than a talk. Your role is to stand next to your poster and provide information and answers to inquiries regarding your project. While some individuals prefer to read posters on their own, the vast majority prefer to have you “walk them through the poster” (i.e. explain what it’s all about). This is more engaging for both you and the spectator! So, feel free to ask passers-by how you can assist them.