2.27.19 Creating PowerPoint Poster

Rationale: After the paper sketch was returned, the next step was to transfer the ideas to a PowerPoint slide (the typical tool used to make scientific posters). Therefore, today was dedicated to beginning the process of creating a PowerPoint version of what had been established on Monday.

Procedure:

Sketch was analyzed and revised. Work was split up amongst the three group members  and different sections were created today. The sections were worked upon until the end of lab.

Results:

A PowerPoint slide with general content was created today. The time permitted was not nearly enough to compile all of the content needed for a complete poster, so only some of the content was present on the submitted copy.

Conclusions:

Creating a poster is very difficult to do in an hour and a half. The process is far longer and requires a lot of attention and planning. In the planning process, it would have been more beneficial to focus more on content and less on how the information would look on the slide. However, a good beginning to a slide was achieved today and will provide a foundation for future work.

Next Steps:

Information that was put on the slide today will need revision, and the rest of the information that had yet to be added will need to be analyzed and added during the next opportunity.

2.25.19 Sketching Poster

Rationale: Since a poster is the most common form of presentation for URSA, it was necessary to learn more about what successful posters look like and to begin to brainstorm what our own posters may look like eventually. Therefore, we looked at many past posters and were assigned into the groups we brainstormed our own posters in.

Procedure:

As a class, we reviewed many posters for coloring and content. We discussed things we liked and those we didn’t. Then, we were assigned into groups and in those groups, we discussed and planned important content we wanted to include on the posters. Finally, we created a visual representation on paper of what we would like our posters to look like.

Results:

This lab session resulted in a more complete understanding of what a research poster entails. In addition, this period also resulted in us developing a sketch about what our own posters would look like in small groups.

Conclusions:

Posters have far more moving parts than initially anticipated and take a lot of thought and effort. They are benefitted by careful planning and analysis before action, and many review processes are required before a final product can be submitted.

Next Steps:

On Wednesday, a PowerPoint version of the poster brainstormed will be created. This is the next step in beginning to create a poster; the product will need to be reviewed and changed many times before it can be fully submitted.