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Students in Action Portal - STEP Conferences

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Click Below to Download registration form without the guidelines:

Poster Registration Form
[.pdf file]

Poster Registration Form
[MS Word .doc]

Student Research Poster Competition

The following criteria have been developed to guide the planning and development of student research poster
presentations. Please note that there will only be 90 poster abstracts accepted. Due to an increase in the number of
students and institutions desiring to participate in the poster presentation competition, only 2 posters from each institution will be accepted. Poster abstracts will be accepted on a first come first serve basis until all the spaces have been filled.

Institutions may submit a third abstract as an alternate. Alternate abstracts will only be accepted if all 90 spaces have not been completely filled by the February 3, 2012 deadline. Provided that spaces are available, alternate poster abstracts will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. Institutions will be notified by February 17, 2012 if alternate abstracts are accepted for participation in the competition. February 24, 2012. Students are strongly encouraged to conduct actual research before submitting a project for this competition. All abstracts must be submitted by 4:00pm February 3, 2012!

Institutions should not submit more than 3 abstracts for the poster competition. Institutions that exceed the submission limit will have all abstracts returned and be eliminated from the competition.

Poster Requirements
- A poster display is mandatory for the Student Research Poster Competition.
- 36 x 48 inches (Tri-fold Display Board) – Posters that exceed these measurements will have FIVE (5) points deducted from the final score.
- The display board should be freestanding.
- Each student is allowed a maximum of ONE (1) POSTER, and is responsible for any special equipment (i.e. display boards, extension cords, laptops, LCD Projector, Internet access, etc.).
Abstract Information
- Each abstract should be one (1) page, double-spaced, have one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, and should not exceed 150 words.
- Abstracts that are more than 150 words in length will not be accepted for the competition. Abstracts will be returned and eliminated from the competition.
- Include presenter’s name, co-presenters, project title, institution name, grade in school, Poster Abstract Number (1, 2, or Alternate) poster division (see section 3), judging category (see section 4), faculty sponsor, and abstract word count.
- Include a problem statement, methods, materials, results, conclusions, and references.
- Complete a Student Poster Competition Registration Form. Form should be submitted with the abstract. Abstracts will not be accepted without this form.
- Please send the Student Research Poster Competition Registration Form as a Microsoft Word Document. Forms sent as PDF files will be returned and the poster abstract removed from the competition.
- Poster abstracts will ONLY be accepted as e-mail attachments (Microsoft Word Document).
- Abstracts should be e-mailed to Dr. Leonese Nelson at lenelson@syr.edu by 4:00pm on February 3, 2012.
- Abstracts and Student Research Poster Competition Registration Forms faxed to Syracuse University’s STEP Office will not be accepted for the student research poster competition.
- *** Institutions submitting more than one abstract for the poster competition should place all abstracts into one e-mail. ***
  
  The Basic Components of an Abstract
  
  (1) Problem Statement:
  a. Why is this a relevant research project?
  b. What practical, theoretical, or scientific gap is your research filling?
  c. What is the problem or question to be addressed in the project?
  
  (2) Methods/Procedures:
  a. What steps did you take to complete this research project?
  b. What did you do to analyze your data?
  
  (3) Results/Findings:
  a. As a result of completing the above procedures, what did you learn, invent or create?
  
  (4) Conclusion/Implications:
  a. What were your research findings? What are the larger implications of your findings?

Poster Division

Posters will be judged in three divisions. Please select one of the three divisions**:

• Middle Division – Students in grades 7 and 8.
• Junior Division – Students in grades 9 and 10.
• Senior Division – Students in grades 11 and 12.

Divisions may be combined based on the number of poster entries.

** If multiple grade levels present a project, the division will be assigned based on the highest-grade level.

Category of Presentation
- Students must choose one of the following FIVE categories for presentation entry. Categories may be combined based on number of entries.
  
  (1) Biological/Life Sciences
  Projects that investigate some aspect of life—Biology, Botany, Ecology, the Environment, Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, etc.
  
  [Example: Genetics and Heredity or The Effect of Sound on Plants]
  
  (2) Human Services
  Projects that study human conditions pertaining to diseases, families, children, safety, wellness, aging, human service agencies and the impact on the community, etc.
  
  [Example: Health Department’s Study about Bacterial Meningitis and teenagers]
  
  (3) Physical Sciences
  Projects that research modern findings in Astronomy, Chemistry, Earth Science, Material Sciences, Physics, the history and policy of science, etc.
  
  [Example: Observation of Freezing Rates of Water on Different Starting Temperatures]
  
  (4) Social Sciences
  Projects that explore important subject matter in Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, History, Geography, etc.
  
  [Example: Violence in Middle and High Schools or The Effects of the Media, Politics, Pop Culture and Violence on Students]
  
  (5) Technology
  Projects that analyze technological advances such as robotics, fiber optics, computer science and programs, computer games, engineering, architect, engineering technology, Computer Aided Design (CAD), graphics, etc.
  
  [Example: Virtual Homework Lockers for Students and Teachers]
Judging Criteria
- There will be a team of judges for each category. Criteria for judging will include, but may not be limited to the items listed below.
References/Bibliography

Each student must provide a list of references that has been used to complete his/her project. Failure to include a list of references/bibliography will result in a FIVE point deduction from the project.

Reminders
- Poster abstracts WILL ONLY be accepted as e-mail attachments (Microsoft Word Documents) this year.
- Abstracts should be e-mailed to Dr. Leonese Nelson at lenelson@syr.edu by 4:00pm on February 3, 2012.
- Abstracts faxed to Syracuse University’s STEP Office WILL NOT be accepted for the Student Research Poster Competition.
- Abstracts will not be accepted without a completed Student Research Poster Competition Registration Form and Institutional Conference Registration Portfolio.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORMAT CHECKLIST

To expedite the processing of abstracts, students are strongly encouraged to include all of the information listed below in their submissions.

Primary Poster Presenter’s Name and Grade in Middle or High School
Co-Presenter(s) Names and Grades in Middle or High School (when applicable)
Institution Name
Abstract Number (1, 2, or Alternate)
Poster Division
- Middle Division - Students in grades 7 and 8.
- Junior Division - Students in grades 9 and 10.
- Senior Division - Students in grades 11 and 12
  
  ** If multiple grade levels present a project, the division will be assigned based on the highest-grade level.
Poster Category
- Biological/Life Sciences
- Human Services
- Physical Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Technology
Faculty Mentor or Teacher’s Name and Affiliation (when applicable)
Abstract Word Count (please do not include the poster title or references in this count.)
Poster Presentation Title
Abstract
- Each abstract should be one (1) page, double-spaced, have one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, and should not exceed 150 words.
- Abstracts that are more than 150 words in length will not be accepted for the competition. Abstracts will be returned and eliminated from the competition.
References/Bibliography

The Student Research Poster Competition Registration Form must be submitted with EACH abstract. Please send the Student Research Poster Competition Registration Forms and Poster Abstracts as Microsoft Word Documents. Poster abstracts and Registration Forms sent as PDF files will be returned and abstracts excluded from the competition.

WHAT IS AN ABSTRACT?

An ABSTRACT is a brief summary of your project. It summarizes very clearly the main points of your experiment. Abstracts should include problem statement, methods, materials, results, conclusions, and references.

The Basic Components of an Abstract:

(1) Problem Statement:
a. Why is this a relevant research project?
b. What practical, theoretical, or scientific gap is your research filling?
c. What is the problem or question to be addressed in the project?

(2) Methods/Procedures:
a. What steps did you take to complete this research project?
b. What did you do to analyze your data?

(3) Results/Findings:
a. As a result of completing the above procedures, what did you learn, invent or create?

(4) Conclusion/Implications:
a. What were your research findings? What are the larger implications of your findings?

SAMPLE ABSTRACT

Up and Down: Seasonal Temperature versus Sun Ray Angle

The purpose of this project was to find out whether the angle of the Sun’s rays at noon affects seasonal temperatures. The experiments involved measuring the air temperature and the angle of the Sun’s rays at noon during different seasons. This was done by recording air temperature and measuring the angle of shadows at noon on the first day of the month from October through April.

The measurements confirmed my hypothesis that as the angle of the Sun’s rays decreases during the year, the outdoor temperature increases. These findings led me to believe that seasonal temperatures are the result of the difference in the angle of the Sun’s rays. As the ray angle decreases, sunlight is more concentrated on an area,
resulting in a higher temperature.

I discovered that during seasons with high temperatures, the angle of the Sun’s rays is lower than during seasons with low temperatures.

Sources: Janice VanCleave’s Guide to the Best Science Fair Project. Janice VanCleave (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997) and www.discoveryschool.com.

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