10. The CLA Student Research Showcase is competitive and since I’ve only been working on my research a short time, my poster won’t be accepted.

UNTRUE, our goal is to have as many students contribute their research as possible. You will find students with various levels of experience presenting at the CLA Student Research Showcase and all have something to contribute and gain from the experience. It is TRUE, however, that there will be cash prizes for first, second and third place posters as judged by CLA faculty. So, join the Showcase!

9. I can’t attend the CLA Student Research Showcase because all of that activity will make me too thirsty!

We will have lots of drinks throughout the event kindly provided by the 49er Bookstore!

8. I already am presenting a poster in a departmental event or a class so I don’t need to participate.

Why not gain more experience and use your poster or presentation more than once?? This can only help you as you think about next steps in your career and/or your plans for graduate study. By sharing your research with more people will provide another line for your resume, will provide you more feedback from faculty and students at CSULB and will give you an opportunity to let the world know what you have been doing here at The Beach.

7. My research has to be quantitative in order to be included.

While we have many students from science-oriented disciplines who present in the CLA Student Research Showcase, all academic disciplines of CLA are represented, including the social sciences and humanities! The CLA Student Research Showcase is meant to highlight all kinds of work whether its quantitative (nos.-based) or qualitative (e.g., interviews, surveys, textual analyses, writing).We will also have videos created by students being displayed along with posters. We are interested in finding a way to be as inclusive as possible. If you have research that you want to present but can’t figure out how, just let us know and we will find a way!

6. I don’t have my results yet so I can’t present this year.

You need not have results yet in order to apply to present your work!. In fact, we advise all students to present their research question(s), methods, anticipated results, and possibly future research avenues in their posters. The CLA Student Research Showcase is a great way to get feedback on your research from interested faculty, staff, and students from across the college!

5. I’ve never created a poster before and doubt that I can do this right now.

Many people who will participate will be doing this for the first time — in fact, this event is a great opportunity to learn how to do a professional presentation in a poster format. Your CLA faculty can help you! Just ask.

4. I’ll have to skip it because I don’t own a tuxedo or floor-length taffeta gown that I could wear on the day of the 2008 CLA Student Research Showcase (May 15)

No formal attire is required though you can dress up if you like. We advise students to dress “business casual.”

3. I can’t present a poster because don’t know how to design one, where to print it and I don’t have the money.

We have lot’s of information available on how to make a poster (see http://www.csulb-cla.org) and will send you announcements soon for our Poster Design Workshops to be held in April. In addition, cost of printing posters for the 2008 CLA Student Research Showcase is being generously supported by Dean Riposa. Students who participate can get their posters printed (in color) for free!

2. I’m not a good public speaker so I can’t possibly stand up in front of a poster and explain it to people.

Practice makes perfect! Everyone gets nervous before a presentation (don’t believe those who say otherwise) but we urge you to get experience with this format as preparation for entering the job world or graduate study. The Luster E and Audrey Nichol Hauth Center for Communication Skills on campus is a great resource for those who would like training in public speaking. If you would like more information about the Hauth Center and the services they provide, please see http://www.csulb.edu/centers/hauth/

1. The 2008 CLA Student Research Showcase is one of the most important learning experiences that you can have as a CSULB student.

This one isn’t a myth at all! Working on your projects will give you hands-on skills in conducting research in your area of interests. The 2008 CLA Student Research Showcase is an excellent opportunity to work with CLA faculty and to publicly present your experiences, capabilities, and education as a student here at the Beach. We believe you will really enjoy and be challenged by the CLA Student Research Showcase. Your mentors will attend, and you can choose to invite to family and supporters as well.

Geoffrey Stone, a faculty member at the University of Chicago Law School has provided a useful discussion in his blog about the history of the California Loyalty Oath that has become news due to the firing of a math teacher at CSU East Bay. Marianne Kearney-Brown (a part time lecturer, I believe) refused to sign the loyalty based on her religious beliefs. Stone argues that the real question isn’t about the firing but rather:

the real question is why California requires public employees to sign an anachronistic and relatively meaningless loyalty oath at all. Certainly, a truly disloyal employee poses risks to the government. She might (if she were doing something other than teaching remedial math) disclose secret information to an enemy; destroy important government files; make decisions intended to harm the public interest; and recruit other employees to engage in subversive activities. But just how does a loyalty oath guard against such dangers? After all, anyone who is truly disloyal will simply take the oath falsely. No dangerous subversive will be deterred by the requirement of an oath.

Not surprisingly, the origins of the oath come from the post WWII anti-communism fear mongering that swept the U.S. While such an oath might have new meaning in this current atmosphere of fear, Stone points out the fundamental problem with the basic purpose of loyalty oath:

Loyalty oaths serve no legitimate function. The government can and should investigate and punish unlawful conduct. But it should not attempt to intimidate American citizens who express “disloyal” beliefs. It is time for California to recognize that its requirement that public employees swear an oath of fealty to their government is a relic of a shameful past and, quite simply, un-American.

[From The University of Chicago Law School Faculty Blog: Loyalty Oaths and Un-Americanism]

The University at Buffalo Libraries has a great site that describes some of the primary features of effective poster presentations. I highly recommend it. The page also includes a list of links of other resources one can find on-line about the process and mechanics of making a poster. These are listed below:

Advice on Designing Scientific Posters http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm This comprehensive resource introduces the poster concept, defines the different sections found on a poster, and provides a bibliography. Several examples are shown.

Creating a Poster Using MS PowerPoint http://courses.washington.edu/hs590a/modules/19/ppposter.html This teaching model provides instructions for creating a poster presentation using PowerPoint 97. This guide will suggest how to: plan and lay out a poster by storyboarding use an existing poster template (provided on the Website for downloading) Sample Posters are provided, http://courses.washington.edu/hs590a/modules/19/module19.html , as is a companion document telling how to make a PageMaker poster. http://courses.washington.edu/hs590a/modules/19/module19.html

Creating Better Presentations: Creating Posters http://www.easternct.edu/smithlibrary/library1/presentations.htm#posters This list of sites features links to poster design and creation tips, and several poster examples.

Creating Effective Poster Presentations: Create Your Poster: Planning http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/CreatePosterPlanning.html This revised site provides instructions for step-by-step development of effective posters and offers great examples of posters done for research. The authors address planning and development, software options, formatting and layout. In addition, poor poster techniques are discussed.

Designing Effective Posters http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/Poster_Presentations/PstrStart.html This 29-page tutorial is one of three Kansas University Medical Center Web sites on Effective Presentations . This site illustrates elements of layout and design for poster presentations, common errors in design and how to avoid them, and it provides a convenient reference for students and faculty. Click on these topics for descriptive details: Planning the poster, creating the title banner, layout of the poster, dealing with illustrations and with text, and poster assembly. There are even a few Folklore, Tidbits & Hints. “A nifty example of a poster presentation (complete with a quiz at the end!)” is provided.

Developing a Poster Presentation in the Social Sciences http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/resources/workshops/socscienceposter/index.htm Twenty-three slides demonstrate how to assemble a poster presentation following APA style guidelines. Slides take the audience step-by-step through the research, design and presentation stages.

How to Make a Great Poster http://www.aspb.org/education/poster.cfm Design suggestions regarding layout, formatting, and color selection are shared on this American Society of Plant Biologists education site.

How to Make a Poster? Posters Have Advantages Over Talks! http://www.bio.vu.nl/thb/users/tmbm99/poster.html This site provides reasons for creating a poster to present research, and discusses formatting considerations.

Introduction: Poster Sessions http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/speaking/poster/index.cfm This university writing guide is a great place to start when faced with a poster assignment. Straight-forward instructions and guidance along with examples and additional resources steer tenderfeet and veterans in effective design.

Poster and Podium Presentation http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~mezza/nur390/Mod5/poster/index.html From the Northern Arizona University School of Nursing, this site discusses the presentation of a research report, describes two means of presenting research at a professional meeting, explores steps in publishing a journal article, and reinforces the responsibility for preparing a research report for a grant-funded study.

Poster Presentation of Research Work http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/Dept/Tips/present/posters.htm A textual description of how to plan and deliver a poster presentation (compiled by the Chemical and Process Engineering Department at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne [U.K.]).

Poster Presentations for the Natural Sciences http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/resources/workshops/posterpresentationnatscience_files/v3_document.htm A 19-slide PowerPoint presentation highlights the significant features of a well-assembled poster session, from font and formatting to graphics, textual content and construction.

Preparing Professional Scientific Posters http://www.ce.umn.edu/~smith/supplements/poster/guide.htm This poster minicourse provides a bullet list for start-to-finish poster design guidance.

Tips for Effective Poster Presentations http://www.osti.gov/em52/workshop/tips-exhibits.html The U.S. Department of Energy site provides a rather comprehensive document series on effective poster design, including a Guidelines for Preparation of Online Poster Presentations http://www.osti.gov/em52/workshop/em52-gl.html

[From Poster Presentations - University at Buffalo Libraries]