Write on t arget. We can even answer rhetorical questions.

1. Write on target. We can even answer rhetorical questions. 458-1455 writingcenter.tamu.edu

2. Research Posters

3. Posters: Text + Visuals Combine textual and visual elements to get a message clearly and concisely to a viewer Use a process of drafting, revising, and editing just as you do to write a paper

4. How Is a Poster Used? Display research in a concise and reader-friendly format, usually at meeting or conferences Displayed with other posters and attendees read them at will Scheduled poster session times: stand with your poster and explain it to people who come by Viewers come and go: opportunity exists for extensive discussion with genuinely interested, informed people

5. Audience Considerations You might target an expert or non-expert audience, or both. Know who your most likely audience will be before you write. The expert will want to know science. The non-expert will want to know results or applications. Target the audience with your content, style, word choice, and visuals.

6. Content: What To Include Research posters follow the IMRaD format. Introduction Methods Results and Discussion From: http://luyenkim.net/home9/images/fbfiles/ images/imrad_format.jpg

7. Tips Use bullets, white space, italics, bold, underlining, and headings to guide the eye. Use them consistently. Make paragraphs and sentences short. Rewrite for the poster ( don’t recycle a paper ). Watch for typos and errors.

8. Original The ideal anesthetic should quickly make the patient unconscious but allow a quick return to consciousness, have few side effects, and be safe to handle. Revised Ideal anesthetics • Quick sedation • Quick recovery • Few side effects • Safe to handle Keep It Concise

9. You critique the following posters.

10. From: http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/samples/couch.pdf

11. Splitting of the cotyledon Splitting of the cotyledon Splitting of the seed coat Evaluation of Legume Cooking CharacteristicsUsing a Rapid Screening Method. H.S.Yeung1, R.W.Waniska2, J.Ehlers3 • 1. Hway-Seen Yeung, Masters Degree Candidate, Cereal Quality Lab, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2474. Telephone (979) 845-2925 • 2. Ralph Waniska, PhD, Cereal Quality Lab, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2474. Telephone (979) 845-2925 • 3. Jeff Ehlers, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521-0124 Table 5. Cooking Qualities of Cowpeas • Introduction: 7.Sensory evaluation 2. Samples of 5 g from each variety; placed into plastic bags containing 3 punched holes • Improvement of legume varieties is necessary to overcome challenges of new diseases and achieve higher yields. Most legumes are consumed as cooked seeds; consumer preferences for legume products should be incorporated earlier in the breeding process. Methods to rapidly determine these attributes are needed in order to quantify consumer preferences. • The Mattson cooker, which uses weighted plungers, is used to measure one cooking quality attribute, cooking time. • The goal of the proposed research was to develop an effective, low-cost method to analyze the cooking quality attributes of legumes. About 25 samples were evaluated during an 8 hr period. Samples were rated for aroma intensity, the number of split seed coats and cotyledons, turbidity of the broth, cooked doneness, and hardness. 3. Plastic bags were filled with 60 mL of water and soaked overnight for 16 hr Results: Table 1: Undercooked Cowpeas Cooked 5 Additional Minutes 4. Bags were held by rods in a large cooking container and boiled until the majority of the seeds were fully cooked Table 2: Overcooked Cowpeas Cooked 5 Minutes Less Table 3:Fall Coachella Valley 5. Broth was drained from plastic bags through a punched hole • Objectives: • Note: • Dark blue indicates values from the top 20% of samples • Light blue indicates values from the lower 20% of samples • Upper values are significantly different than lower values • Use a rapid screening method to evaluate the cooking quality attributes of cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata). • Determine the effect location and cooking time hsve on cowpea cooking qualities. Table 4: UC Riverside • Conclusions: • The rapid, low-cost method allows a trained person to evaluate multiple cooking properties of 25 samples within 8 hours • The method differentiated varieties according to cooking properties • Seeds grown in different locations yielded different cooking qualities • It was worthwhile to add 5 min cooking time to undercooked seeds • But not worthwhile to cook overcooked seeds 5 min less Methods: 6. Seeds and their broth were placed in individual bowls • Observations: • Increasing cook time to achieve doneness improved cooking qualities (Table 1, 2) • Two locations yielded different cooking qualities of the same variety (Table 3, 4) • Varieties differed in their cooking attributes (Table 5) • The texture of cooked cowpeas showed a negative correlation with the amount of water absorbed during soaking (Sefa-Dedeh et al 1978) • Splitting negatively correlated with broth opacity • Doneness and texture negatively correlate with brix 1. Intact seeds were selected from 25 cowpea varieties and a reference cowpea sample Acknowledgements: Bean and Cowpea CRSP for partial financial support; Dr. Agnes Mwangwela and Dr. Amanda Minnaar for their assistance in method development; Texture Technologies Corp., Scarsdale, NY/Stable Micro Systems, Godalming, Surrey, UK).

12. From: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/%7Ecainproj/images/gallery/fallen_women_md.gif

13. Award Winning Poster

14. Visuals Are Key Visual elements should be: Legible from a distance Numbered, titled, and referenced in text Designed to get the gist of your message Use color purposefully to: Show connections Guide the audience through the poster Highlight Create a mood or suggest a theme

15. Easy to Follow Layouts left-to-right flow in vertical columns two fields in contrast

16. left-to-right flow • in horizontal rows • centered image • with explanations

17. Poster Presentation Tips Practice short (2 minute) and long (10 minute) versions of your explanation Anticipate questions you might get and how you will answer them

18. Poster Presentation Tips Do not block or read from the poster, but do point out figures and use them in your explanation Make sure you can sum up your poster’s key points and conclusion in 2-3 sentences

19. Resources http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/Poster_Presentations/110.html Maintained by Kansas University Medical Center Focuses on how to design a poster for an oral presentation with helpful tips grouped under appropriate menus http://www.tamu.edu/ode/graduatewritingproject/ Texas A&M Website Includes poster presentations and oral presentations, with tips, advice, and examples http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/examples/ Strength of this site: excellent examples with detailed commentary about their strengths and weaknesses

20. Don’t Forget We are here to help with any of your writing concerns. Call (979) 458-1455 Check us out on the web writingcenter.tamu.edu Stop by: 214 Evans Library 205 West Campus 458-1455 writingcenter.tamu.edu