Virtual Poster Session Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is required for a Virtual Poster Presentation?
Answer: All virtual poster presenters will need to prepare the following items prior to the session:
- A 2-minute pre-recorded poster overview, highlighting the key points and takeaways for your poster.
- A PDF of your poster.
2. What do I do with my 2-minute recording?
Answer: Once you’ve recorded your talk, you’ll need to follow two simple steps to ensure we correctly receive it:
Navigate to https://aiche-spr21.vfairs.com/upload where you will be asked to input the following:
- Virtual Event Name or URL. Please enter “AIChE2020Virtual” in this field.
- Your Company Name
- Your Name
- Your Email Address
- Upload your video using the drag and drop box, or the browse to upload feature.
Once your video upload is complete (this may take a few minutes), a URL will appear below the “Video Upload” heading. Please COPY and SAVE this URL. You will need it for the next step.
- Next hit “send”, which will confirm the upload is complete.
- IMPORTANT: Once you have your video URL, please navigate to this AIChE Form and fill in the requested information to confirm with AIChE that your video has been uploaded. Your video will not be confirmed in the program until you complete this step.
- Life happens. If you lost track of your Video URL from step 1, please still submit the AIChE form and put “Lost Link” in the Video URL field
If you have any questions on recording or uploading, please email us at meetings@aiche.org.
3. If I am providing a recording, do I need to attend the poster session?
Answer: Yes, the 1-hour poster session must be attended by all presenters. As an unopposed session slot, poster presenters will need to be in attendance to field any questions regarding their posters live.
4. What are the guidelines or best practices for recording?
Answer: For recordings instructions & tips, you can refer to the virtual conference Speakers Guide.
5. How will I access my poster during the poster session?
Answer: You will be able to find your virtual poster in the virtual poster session and join the chatroom directly to answer Q&A live.
6. When do I need to upload my poster PDF?
Answer: In order to include your poster PDF in the virtual poster session, you will need to upload it in addition to your recording. The Deadline to submit your poster PDF is Monday, March 22, 2021. Instructions on uploading your poster PDF are below.
- Start by going to your personal Confex Portal, which you should have received in your recordings instruction email from Confex.
- Click the Speaker’s Corner uploads link associated with your paper.
- Submit your poster to the “Upload Poster PDF” link.
7. How should my poster look?
Answer: It should be done so that the viewer can easily follow it - type should be large enough to be viewed without too much zooming - flow charts should be simple, leaving more complicated explanations to verbal interaction between the presenter and the viewers. Some guidlines to improve your poster can be found here or here.
8. How long will my poster be available for viewing?
Answer: Posters, along with the rest of the content presented at the Virtual Meeting, will be available for access and viewing on the virtual platform for up to 30 days following the end of the conference.
9. Is there a grant program that could cover the registration or associated presentation expenses?
Answer: AIChE does not have a grant program that awards funding towards meeting registration or travel expenses. Take a look at specific Division or Forums to see if they offer any stipends or awards that include stipends here.
Guidelines for Effective Virtual Posters
A poster is a visual communications tool. It can be thought of as an illustrated paper. Designed to convey research findings, its ultimate aim is a fruitful exchange of ideas between the presenter and the people reading the poster. Use the poster to give the big picture. It should include a statement of the problem and its relevance to process safety, a description of the method of approach, a presentation of the results and your recommendations, and finally a short summary of the project.
An effective poster:
- Delivers a clear message
- Is highly visual
- Is read easily as a whole
Many posters suffer from easy-to-fix problems that make them ineffective, including:
- Objective(s) and main point(s) hard to find
- Text too small
- Poor graphics
- Poor organization
Some useful tips for layout:
- Concentrate on main points
- All visuals and text should relate to those points and conclusions.
- Headings help readers find key sections - objectives, results, etc.
- Balance the placement of text and graphics
- Display word sections in small units (chunks) of text
- Text should be large - at least 36 point for title panels; 24 point for text
- Use white space creatively to define flow of information.
- Don't fight "reader gravity" that pulls eye from top to bottom, left to right
- Bulleted lists are very effective
- Sometimes a question-and-answer format may be appropriate for part of the poster
- Include contact details for follow-up with readers
Some practical suggestions:
- Be prepared with documentation or references handy for viewers to take away.
The chairs received this question from a Faculty Candidate Poster Presenter:
Q: Considering that these project proposal ideas are just that (unpatented/unpublished ideas), and that multiple faculty search committee members all over the country will read them, should I be cautious about the amount of specific information I include in my research statement? There’s no NDA/CDA in the application process that I’m aware of and some of these ideas are actually grant proposals I intend on submitting with specific collaborators and disclosing IP. What are your thoughts re. IP when you look through research statements?
A: You should indeed be careful about what you say, since since both your abstracts/poster in the Meet the Faculty Poster session and your application packet that you send to employers will serve as public disclosure. So definitely do not include your "secret sauce" into it. You could also ask the patent lawyers at your school to review the materials that you plan to release, if you already have a provisional patent in place.