Texas Tech University

Info for Fall Symposium Presenters

The Texas Tech Fall Symposium offers you the unique opportunity to articulate your project's value and hone your presentation skills before a non-expert, interdisciplinary audience through a 3-minute Impact Talk. Use the guide below to understand your expectations and presentation requirements.

Registration & Impact Summary Guidelines

See the Symposium Schedule webpage for due dates and schedules. 

Impact Talk Submission Form (coming soon)

  • The registration form has 3 main questions that you will need to work with your faculty mentor to fill out correctly. 
    1. Impact Talk Summary (max 350 characters including spaces)- Summarize your project.
    2. Impact of Project (max 350 characters including spaces)- How are YOU making an impact through your project?
    3. List of Authors on the project.
  • Impact content and format can vary between disciplines. The best source of support as you prepare your summary is your faculty mentor! Remember, they will have to approve the summary for it to be accepted to the Symposium.
  • Before submitting, we encourage every TTU student presenter to connect with the TTU Undergraduate Writing Center for support as they prepare their summary!
  • Individual Presentations Only! Every student must submit their own registration, be individually accepted, and deliver their own 3-minute presentation. There are no group or co-presentations.
  • We highly encourage multiple students from the same lab or URCA project to participate. However, your talk should focus uniquely on your specific role and how your contributions impact the broader project.
  • Limit of 1 submission per student.
  • All formatting and special characters (e.g., scientific symbols) will not be processed by the form. Your summary text should be in plain text format.
  • There is no minimum size for a summary, but the main text, which should NOT include author and title information, may be no longer than 350 characters including spaces.
  • The author information will be entered on a separate part of the registration form. Do not add as part of the summary.

Registration Process

  1. Presenter will submit their symposium registration.
  2. Faculty mentor will approve the submission.
  3. Presenter receives an email verfiation that they have been accepted to the Symposium.
  4. Presenter submits a PDF Slide to true@ttu.edu by [deadline] (see slide requirements below).

Impact Talk Submission Form (coming soon)

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Slide Submission Requirements

See the Symposium Schedule webpage for due dates and schedules.

Your presentation slide must be compiled into a master session file prior to the event. If your slide fails to meet any of the strict criteria below, you will be required to present without a slide. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Format Must be submitted as an Adobe Acrobat PDF (.pdf) file.
Aspect Ratio Recommended 16:9 (widescreen) to ensure optimal projector layout without distortion
Content Must prominently display the presenter's name. 
Animations Static information ONLY. Absolutely no transitions, animations, or moving parts.
Media No embedded audio or video clips.
Design Rule Prioritize clean legibility and accessibility from the back of the room. Keep in mind you may not be able to see the screen easily without looking behind you.

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Day of Presenter/Session Expectations

Each participant will present for up to 3 minutes to groups of their peers with one-minute transitions. Presenters are allowed one slide, which will be submitted and approved beforehand. Impact Talk Sessions will be one hour, with 5-10 presenters in each session. Each session will conclude with Q&As and all presenters are required to stay until the end of their session. Presenters must review all of their peers in their session, in order to be considered for the finals and awards. 

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Rubric

Take full advantage of the rubric being provided, as it will be the exact rubric you will be judged on at the Fall Symposium. Use the rubric to build your presentation and slide to give you the best advantage! 

Rubric Info

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Peer Reviewer Info

YOU the presenters are the first round of judges! We utilize a peer review judging format during the Fall Symposium. Remember all presenters must review their fellow session presenters in order to be eligible to make the finals/receive an award! We believe this is a fantastic way for you to learn about other presenter techniques as well as learn about what other undergraduate researchers are doing here at Texas Tech.

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Qualifications for Finals

  • Session Format: Presenters are grouped into Preliminary Sessions where they talk for up to 3 minutes, followed by a 1-minute transition throughout the 2 days. 
  • The Path to Awards: To be eligible for awards, you must fully participate in the preliminary rounds, complete your peer reviews, and be present for Finalist announcements on Day 2.
  • Symposium Finals: Selected finalists must be prepared to deliver their 3-minute Impact Talk a second time on Day 2 to a panel of expert faculty and staff judges.

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Conflicts with Religious Holidays

If the Fall Symposium falls on a religious holiday (e.g. Eid ul-Fitr), impacted students are invited to contact us to arrange an alternative opportunity to present their project.

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Texas Tech Excused Absence Letter

Excused Absence Letter Coming Soon

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Questions & Support

Need help drafting your presentation or have questions about logistics?

  • Faculty Mentor(s) are your #1 support contact!
  • Writing Support: We strongly encourage TTU student presenters to partner with the TTU Undergraduate Writing Center to polish their presentations.
  • Contact TrUE: Reach out to the team directly at true@ttu.edu

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