Texas Tech University

For Presenters

poster presentation

 

The Department of Plant and Soil Science invites graduate and undergraduate students to present their work at the PSS Student Research Symposium. This symposium is designed to provide an annual opportunity for students at all stages of their programs to present their research and receive feedback from peers. Graduate and undergraduate PSS students or collaborators who are conducting research and are planning to present their work at major conferences are especially encouraged to participate.

The 2026 Symposium will take place on April 23, and the deadline for registration is March 23.

Graduate students are invited to enter either oral or poster presentations.

Undergraduate students are invited to enter poster presentations.

Presenters will be evaluated anonymously by PSS faculty, staff, and external judges, with the opportunity for students to receive constructive feedback. Cash prizes will be awarded to top student presenters.

General Recommendations

  • Practice with your fellow students and lab group before the symposium. Staying within the time limit is a part of the judging criteria.
  • Dress appropriately. Business professional dress or similar is preferred.
  • When answering questions, remember to re-state or summarize the question briefly so that the rest of the audience hears and understands the question.

Oral Presentation Format & Requirements

  • Oral presentation with slide show as visual aid (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.)
  • Presentations should be 12 minutes, leaving at least 3 minutes for questions.
  • Bring a digital copy of your PowerPoint on a USB storage device with you on the day of the symposium or upload to a cloud service, for easy access in case of technical issues.
  • There will be opportunities to upload corrected or edited slides during breaks between sessions on the day of the symposium. You must have your presentation uploaded prior to the session in which you are presenting.
  • If possible, email a digital file copy of your presentation to Dr. Shim prior to the symposium in case a backup file is needed.

Poster Presentation Format & Requirements

  • Physical posters will be displayed collectively in the meeting room, and should be hung prior to the symposium (clips or pins for hanging posters will be provided as needed).
  • Students must stand by their posters during the scheduled Q&A sessions and prepare a 3-5 minute verbal walkthrough presentation of their poster for attendees and judges.
  • Poster sizes should be oriented horizontally and no larger than 36" high x 48" wide.
  • If possible, email a digital file copy of your poster (PDF) to Dr. Shim prior to the symposium in case a backup file is needed.
  • Students are responsible for printing their own posters for the symposium.
  • Printing Procedure: Email Robby Carlson (robby.carlson@ttu.edu) with an attached/linked PDF to print your poster in the PSS computer lab prior to the symposium. He will confirm when completed and leave the prints in the BPS 122 main office for pickup.
  • Printing Warning: Please be aware, Robby is unavailable to print on Wednesdays. If you wait too long, you may need to use printing resources outside of the department. Keep in mind how many other students will also be panicking printing their posters as the symposium date approaches and plan to print as early as possible.

 

Submissions: Due by March 23

To register for the symposium, please email the following information to Taylor Smith at smi72727@ttu.edu:

  • Presenter name, degree level (B.S., M.S., or Ph.D.), and PSS research area (soil science, horticulture, etc.)
  • Preferred presentation format (graduate students may choose between oral and poster)
  • Presentation title (sentence-case)

All students are required to copy their advisor(s) on the email when submitting their presentation information.

Department of Plant and Soil Science

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