Graduate Thesis Seminar Week 3: Research posters and power point presentations

1. Graduate Thesis SeminarWeek 3:Research posters and power point presentations Jonas Braasch … the scientist …

2. … the humanities approach… Graduate Thesis SeminarResearch Posters & Power Point Presentations Jonas Braasch Graduate Program in Acoustics School of Architecture Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute braasj@rpi.edu

3. … the architecture geek… Graduate Thesis SeminarResearch Posters & Power Point Presentations Jonas Braasch

4. Contents • Power Point Presentation • Poster Presentation

5. Power Point Talks

6. Warning! • Most slides contain more text than is good for a typical power point presentation (This way you can use the slide as a script)

7. The most important thing… Convey your message … in time

8. Things that help • Have a clear concept • Follow a red line • Make it Big • Be simple • Be consistent

9. Clear Concept • Typically you have 12 to 20 minutes at a conference to get your key concept to the audience • Boil complex matter down as much as you can without loosing the point • If you have more than 3 simple “Take Home Messages” your talk is likely too complicated • The audience is “dumber” than you think • After your talk, the audience should know what you did, how and why you did it, and what was novel about your approach

10. Follow Red Line • Take into account that your audience cannot turn back the page to read something again • The larger the crowd the more unlikely it is that someone will ask questions in between • Avoid abbreviations that are uncommon to your audience • Make sure that you explain those issues well that your talk will build on • Avoid traps and detours • Make sure that you know where you want to start and where you want to end your talk

11. Make it BIG… • Use large font sizes • at least 24pt, Title 36pt to 44 pt • Simple Figure with large captions • Avoid too much text • You should be able to read your slides at a distance of 6 feet from your screen • Be aware that people have (or choose) to sit in the back

12. Font Sizes Arial Times New Roman (sans serif) • 44 pt, Hello 44 pt, Hello • 36 pt, Hello 36 pt, Hello • 32 pt, Hello 32 pt, Hello • 28 pt, Hello 28 pt, Hello • 24 pt, Hello 24 pt, Hello • 20 pt, Hello 20 pt, Hello • 18 pt, Hello 18 pt, Hello • 16 pt, Hello 16 pt, Hello • 14 pt, Hello 14 pt, Hello • 12 pt, Hello 12 pt, Hello

13. Figures: From Journals … (Braasch & Hartung, 2002)

14. … to Power Point

15. … to Power Point 1. depict less data

16. … to Power Point 1. depict less data 2. use visual aids

17. … to Power Point 1. depict less data 2. use visual aids 3. use color code

18. … to Power Point 1. depict less data 2. use visual aids 3. use color code 4. take larger fonts

19. Visual aids

20. Visual aids Ideal Line of Localization

21. Visual aids Ideal Line of Localization Maximum lateralization shift

22. Visual aids Ideal Line of Localization Maximum lateralization shift

23. ….and not small

24. … or too much

25. … unless you give a talk to the society of the people with photographic memory, try this… Resonator length [cm] Frequency [Oct.]

26. Videos are great

27. Simplicity • Do not loose your audience (unless you would like too) • Keep figures simple • Display graphics that the key feature is apparent right away • Label all graphs with a large font size • Define necessary terms and do not change definitions and vocabulary in between

28. The talk • Practice it • Practice it again (speak loud, e.g. to a test crowd) • Make sure you give credits where necessary (your competitor could sit in the audience) • Do not embarrass anybody • “I am sorry for not being enough prepared, but I was invited so late” • “sorry for the lousy data, but I thought we would come up with something better when we submitted the abstract” • Keep mistakes for yourself

29. The talk • Try to speak loud and clearly • The larger the venue, the slower you should talk • Use a microphone if necessary • Know what your co-authors are doing

30. Timeline • A typical slide (science) takes at east 1 Minute to explain. For a 12 Minute presentation, you might bring around 10 slides • When you practice your slides alone, you are likely to need less time than in the conference room • Take a watch with you, and have a rough timeline (e.g., know which slide is midpoint) • When you prepare your slides, do the most important things first

31. Questions • Figure out ahead what could be asked • Be prepared to defend the weak aspects of your work • Keep you answer short. You can discuss the question in great detail after your talk • Take extra slides with you if necessary • Don’t be afraid of not being able to answer a question • You can offer to investigate and come up with an answer later (“…good point, I would have to think about this …”) • You can ask the audience for help

32. Backups • Have an electronic backup: CD-rom, memory stick, Web page • Have a print out • Make sure you do not have all your material checked in during a flight

33. Posters

34. Initial Steps • Read Conference instructions • Maximum size of the poster • Landscape or Portrait orientation? • Due dates for poster, abstracts, and paper • Poster Printing • find out where you can print the poster • find out what technical format the printing shop will need (e.g., data format maximum size, resolution) • find long how long it will take (also consider technical difficulties) • evaluate the cost

35. Example: AES Guidelines • The poster boards 150 cm x 90 cm (portrait). Each author will get two boards (use for example A0 (118.9 x 84.1 cm) or B1 (100 x 70.7 cm). • Arch D: 24 x 36 inches • Arch E: 30 x 42 inches • Posters should contain graphical elements and font sizes that are readable from a distance of about 1 m. • Graphs, tables, and diagrams should be at least 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 inches). Simple, easy-to-read fonts, such as Times New Roman or Arial, are highly recommended. • Suggested font sizes: • title, 84 pt • name and affiliation, 72 pt • headings and subheadings, 36 pt; • body text, 18 to 24 pt.

36. Poster Contents • Determine what you will need for the contents of the poster • Did you raise all the data that you would like to present? (Do you have everything that you promised in your abstract?) • Do you need to create fancy figures? • Do you need permission to show figures from other authors or collaborators?

37. Poster Style • One-sheet poster + looks professional – expensive – needs more time to print – mistakes cannot be easily fixed • Multiple-sheet poster + easy to print (in house solution) + mistakes can be easily fixed + is cheap – looks cheap

38. Banners for multiple-sheet posters Tip: using 17x11 instead of letter size papers make the poster look much better on a low budget. Figs. from Jeff Radel’s webpage, see his page for more details

39. General Layout • Plan your general layout carefully. You can use it many times. Rather be sloppy on the rest. • Check whether there is an existing corporate design for your institution (e.g. existing template)

40. Poster organization • Determine how you would like to group your contents and determine how much space each unit requires. • Group the contents of each group visually and make sure there is guidance for the order of each element (e.g., number each unit).

41. Example Layout Title Banner Abstract Research Methods Results I Results II Discussion & Outlook References Acknowledgement

42. Title Banner • Choose a good title (e.g., 84 pt) • List all authors (e.g., 72 pt) • First names might help to easier communicate • Presenting author is typically the first author • Do not forget everybody’s institution (e.g., 60 pt) • Make sure people will recognize your institution • Provide adequate information (e.g. country if conference is abroad) • Logo is welcome • Email address might help to establish contacts (e.g., 48 pt)

43. RPI Logos • http://rpinfo.rpi.edu/dept/NewsComm/graphics/logos.html Spatial controllers for Wave Field Synthesis Jonas Braasch braasj@rpi.edu Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

44. A title is Not your abstract e.g. Prestin, a Key Player in Outer Hair Cell Electromotility, and the α10 Nicotinic Cholinergic Subunit Show Positive Selection Signatures in the Mammalian Lineage Interregional Connectivity Between Primary Auditory Region and Early Visual Cortex Predicts Successful Recovery Following Cochlear Implant in Congenital Deaf Children

45. The right amount of Text • Most posters contain way to much text. You do not have to write everything in detail. People can ask you for more information. • Too much text will scare everybody away. • On the other hand, people should get a rough idea what you are doing in case you are presently absent.

46. RPI Colors

47. Colors Keep in mind that the contrast will be smaller on the video projector than our your screen Keep in mind that the contrast will be smaller on the video projector than our your screen Keep in mind that the contrast will be smaller on the video projector than our your screen

48. RPI power point slide template

49. The poster tour • Typically starts with somebody approaching you: “Can you give me a tour through your poster” • Be prepared to give a brief description of 5 to 10 min. Details are discussed afterwards, in between or not at all. • Try to find out what background your audience has, so you can adapt your presentation. • Have business cards ready. Posters are a great opportunity to make new connections. • A hand out (e.g. your poster on a 17x11 sheet of paper is often welcome). • Audio visual support material is possible (e.g., CD player, laptop computer)

50. RPI Fonts • Font Names: GoudyOlSt BT, Swiss 721 BT, Newspaper Pi BT, Humanist 521 BT, Bell Gothic BT • Headline: BellGothic BT BoldBody Copy: GoudyOlSt BTBullet Copy: Humanist 521 BTBullets:Newspaper Pi BTCallout: BellGothic BT BoldCaption/Disclaimer: Humanist 521 BTPage Number: BellGothic BT BoldTagline: Swiss 721 SWACover Address Block: BellGothic BT Bold