All research students are expected to present a poster of their research findings at the Trinity College Science Symposium on the second "reading" day after the end of classes. The Biology Department will supply research students with poster-board (two 20" x 30" sheets of one color), mounting tape, razor blades and a paper cutter. Please see Ms. Susan St.Jean as soon as possible so you can select your favorite poster-board color while she still has it! In addition to the poster-board normally provided by the department, foam-board is also acceptable and likewise available in several colors. This has the advantage of being light in weight but very strong (a 20" x 30" sheet is about $3). Foam-board can be purchased at Staples, Office Max, etc. Text, figures, tables etc. can be affixed to the poster-board using double-sided adhesive tape that we provide. If you use glue, avoid over-gluing as copy paper wrinkles easily!
Posters are displayed by tacking them onto a cork-board poster stand in Ferris Athletic Center with push pins. Instead of carrying and then tacking a 4 x 4' poster onto the cork board, experience suggests that it is easier to prepare individual segments of your poster on separate, smaller pieces. This recommended technique will make for easier transport. Because the department will reassemble and display your poster long after you've left the College, number the back of each piece in the order that it should be placed.
Poster titles can now be made quickly and inexpensively by Kinko's. All they need is a laser-printed copy of your title, authors, etc., ideally, printed long-ways on an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet. They photocopy this onto large paper (18" x 48"), which you can then trim to size with an "Exacto" knife. Letters made on a Macintosh in Palatino [font size 21 to 25 come out at over 1 inch high - plenty large enough for a typical poster]. The cost is about $6 and the job can be done while you wait (perhaps about 15 minutes, depending on how busy they are).
Somewhere on your poster, either as part of the heading or at the very end, please put the year in which your poster was prepared, and the department which sponsored your research (students from several departments participate in the symposium). For example:
THE EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON COLLEGE STUDENTS
by I. M. Exhausted (2001) Department of Biology
Faculty Advisor: D.G.B. Grammarchecker
Please remember that posters are VISUAL presentations. Some suggestions for layouts and effective means of conveying information are provided in the attached guide. In addition, there are numerous examples from previous years posted around the department.