1. J.R. Ferguson Mechanical Engineering Dept. Boise State University
Poster Presentations
J.R. Ferguson Mechanical Engineering Dept. Boise State University
18-Apr-06

2. A Poster is
a graphic presentation of any research, project, or program

3. ASME Old Guard Poster Competition Rules
POSTER PRESENTATION A competitor must realize that the presentation is an individual effort. However, ethical policies require credit to be given on the poster for any outside assistance related to the reported project. As a general guideline, the poster is to be prepared so that it can be easily understood in the absence of the author. Except for fasteners, all poster materials must be flush with the board, not protruding more than 1/8 inch (3.2 mm). There may be no mechanical or electrical devices on the board. All material must be accessible without having to lift or turn pages. There can be no materials placed in front of, above, below, or to the side of the poster. Judging criteria are based solely on the content of the poster. The author will not be present during the judging.

4. ASME – Scoring Sheet

5. Elements of an Effective Poster
Tells a story; complete & succinct; easy to follow
Intrigues viewers using crisp terse phrases and bullet lists (preferred to extensive text)
Can be read from 3 ft.
Charts, tables, and pictures that can be understood in less than 60 s
Uncluttered tables and graphs
Efficient use of colors and markers
Fewer than ~10 panels
Numbered panels

6. Poster Formats 3 ft by 5 ft fabric wall
Corrugated poster board, 3 ft x 4 ft, with folds
8½ x 11, or 8½ x 14 panels
Attached with pins, tape, velcro, clips, or hooks

7. Poster Components
Title Panel: title, authors, affiliation, date & sometimes an executive summary
Problem Statement
Objectives
Methods (1 or 2 panels)
Results (2 or 3 panels)
Discussion
Supporting Materials: references, acknowledgements, etc.

8. Panel Arrangement Title Pb Statement Methods Objectives Results 12
Pb Statement 4
Methods 3
Objectives 5
Results 1 6
Results 2 7
Conclusion / Discussion 8
References / Acknowledge-ments

9. Poster Mechanics Title (Bold: 80 to 100 pt or larger, up to 2”)
Author, Affiliation, etc (Bold: 60 to 80 pt)
Headings (Bold: 50 to 70 pt)
Text (36 to 48 pt)
Graphics (5 pt line widths or greater, bold labels, 36 to 48 pt)

10. Elements of a good poster graph
Title (centered above graph)
Caption explaining central point of graph
Labeled axis with units
Legend (as appropriate)
Use data pts for measured data, lines for theory or ‘curve fits’
Use uncertainty bars
Avoid overuse of color and symbols, clutter

11. Figure 1. Sample Graph. This figure shows the excellent agreement between theory and experimental measurement.

12. More help on posters