Face-to-face oral presentations will be held in the Student Union Building and Magruder Hall on April 18. A list of presentations that are scheduled for each session can be found in the conference schedule.  If you are interested in viewing specific presentations, then it is recommended to stay within that room as presentations may occur at a different time from what is posted.

Oral presentations will be held in the Student Union Building and Magruder Hall on April 17. To find your scheduled presentation time and location, find your abstract here (you can find your abstract by scrolling down to ‘TOTAL’, selecting ‘Authors’, and then searching for your last name). Each presentation is scheduled within a session, which can be found here. You should arrive at your scheduled session 15 minutes before the session begins to upload your presentation (i.e. 15 minutes before the first presentation within your session). You should stay for the entire session in which you are presenting and dress professionally.

Oral presentations are scheduled for 15 minutes each including time for questions (recommend a 12-minute presentation). A computer and projector will be available in each session room. Presenters who wish to deliver computer-based presentations should use software packages that are standardly available on campus computers such as PowerPoint or PDF. It is recommended to bring your presentation on a portable flash drive. Students will not have time between speakers to log in to email, so it is not recommended to present using Google Slides. A moderator will be present in each room to help you upload your presentation before the scheduled session begins and keep on track with time while presenting.

The Poster Session will be held in the Activities Room of the Student Union Building on April 18. You should be in the Activities Room standing next to your poster for formal discussion from 3:00-4:00 pm. You should stay for the entire session and dress professionally.

Poster walls and push pins will be provided to display your poster. Posters should be no taller or wider than 33 inches; however, the final poster size within those limits can be at the discretion of the student author. Poster locations will be identified with a poster number. To find your poster number, find your abstract here (you can find your abstract by scrolling down to ‘TOTAL’, selecting ‘Authors’, and then searching for your last name). The poster number is listed as the ‘Session’ number. You should hang your poster before the Poster Session begins at 3:00 pm.

Performance art presentations will be held in the Student Union Building on April 17. To find your scheduled presentation time and location, find your abstract here (you can find your abstract by scrolling down to ‘TOTAL’, selecting ‘Authors’, and then searching for your last name). Each presentation is scheduled within a session, which can be found here. You should arrive at your scheduled session 15 minutes before the session begins to upload your presentation (i.e. 15 minutes before the first presentation within your session). You should stay for the entire session in which you are presenting and dress professionally.

Performance art presentations are scheduled for 15 minutes each including time for questions (recommend a 12-minute presentation). The requested equipment (music stands, piano, etc.) will be available in each session room. A moderator will be present in each room to help you set up for your presentation before the scheduled session begins and keep on track with time while presenting.

Studio Art exhibits and the Annual Juried Student Exhibition will be on display in the University Art Gallery (OP 1114) on April 18. You should be in the Art Gallery standing next to your artwork for formal discussion from 3:00-4:00 pm. You should stay for the entire session and dress professionally.

What are the benefits to the students?

• the development of skills to function more independently
• the opportunity to put classroom knowledge into practice
• the identification of career interests
• the building of mentor relationships between faculty and students
• the stimulation that comes with critical thinking
• the opportunity to participate in new discoveries
• the ability to better understand research methodologies
• the stimulation of creativity
• the increased likelihood of acceptance into graduate or professional school
• the ability to communicate to a wide audience
• recognition by one’s peers
• the sheer excitement created by intellectual activity
• the opportunity to earn wages or academic credit
• the enhanced ability to grasp the philosophy of life-long learning

Tips for abstract submission and presentation preparation

1. Communicate with your faculty mentor early. Your mentor is a professional; you will soon become a professional. Learn from her/him the proper procedures for designing and presenting your project. Let them know early your hopes and aspirations for the conference, so that they may guide you through this experience.
2. Have your mentor review your material. Your mentor should view your abstract before it’s submitted so you can make the necessary revisions. You should also work with your mentor before presenting at the Student Research Conference to make sure your presentation is of professional quality.
3. Practice and time your talk. In preparation for a professional conference, you should practice and time your presentation. Be professional.
4. Use slides judiciously. A professional uses PowerPoint as an aid to outline and guide a presentation, not to substitute for a presentation.

On the day of the Student Research Conference

• You do not need a hard copy of your presentation.
• Dress professionally. Your appearance communicates your competency, both at this conference and in all other professional situations.
• Arrive ~15 minutes before your scheduled session begins and stay for the entirety of your scheduled session.

Each presentation must have a faculty mentor. If students are presenting work done off-campus, for example during an internship, they must identify a Truman faculty member as a co-sponsor. Abstracts that lack faculty sponsorship will not be accepted. Your involvement in the work to be presented at the Student Research Conference is therefore essential. Without you, there can be no conference. You should know about the responsibilities of mentoring as well as the significant benefits it can confer.

As a faculty mentor, you should familiarize yourself with the outlined Presentation Types and Submission Guidelines. Before you agree to be a mentor, you should make sure the proposed work is eligible and you should work with the students involved in preparing the abstract and getting ready for the presentation.

While the primary goal of the conference is to encourage and reward student research, scholarship, and creative activity, faculty mentors should remember that their student’s presentation also reflects upon themselves and their academic discipline and division.

At the very minimum, faculty mentors should:

1) Ensure that the student(s) have complied with the submission guidelines

2) Proof-read the abstract prior to submission and give the student(s) appropriate feedback and editing

3) Formally approve the abstract submission

4) Preview the presentation prior to the conference and give appropriate feedback to enhance the quality of the presentation

• The stimulation and confidence that accompanies creative thinking
• The opportunity to mentor enthusiastic, high-quality students
• The enhanced ability to remain current in one’s field and discipline
• The excitement created by intellectual activity and participation in new discoveries
• The recognition by one’s internal and external peers
• The reinvigoration of one’s career
• The chance to improve teaching techniques, such as in investigative laboratories (or workshops)
• The ability to transfer results from one’s scholarship into the classroom
• The ability to promote the concept of life-long learning for students