2026 CNS Graduate Student Research Symposium

Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Location: Campus Center Auditorium (lower level of the campus center)

Schedule:

The 2026 CNS Graduate Research Symposium is an opportunity to showcase the innovative work being conducted by our CNS graduate students. The event will feature 2 poster presentation sessions, and selected abstracts will be invited to deliver 4min lightning talk presentations. The event will conclude with a networking reception, where our graduate students will have a chance to meet with CNS alumni and all attendees can connect over light refreshments. Presentation awards will be announced during the networking reception. Award prizes will range in value up to $250. 

The goal of this event is to provide CNS graduate students with a supportive opportunity to strengthen their written, visual, and oral communication skills by presenting their work for peers, faculty, alumni, and the broader UMass community. The Office of Professional Development at the Graduate School will be hosting workshops to support and prepare graduate students in these efforts - check out their upcoming workshops. Graduate students are also encouraged to reuse past posters if available. 

Presentation Guidelines

Presentations should be around 4min in length. Presentation length will be considered during judging. Please be sure your poster/slides and presentation are geared for a broad audience, as judges and attendees will likely not be experts in your research area or discipline. Want to be better prepared for presenting to a broad audience? The Graduate School’s Office of Professional Development is here to support you! They regularly host workshops on communication, data visualization, and public speaking, so be sure to check out their upcoming workshops. 

Presented projects can be in any stage and may include preliminary data, expected results, and/or future directions. This event is open to external audiences, so please check with your faculty advisor to be sure your project can be shared beyond the internal UMass community. Please note that the CNS Communications team will also be taking photos to document the event, and photos may be used in future marketing and communications materials.

Posters 

Presenters should plan to arrive 10-15min early to find their poster number and set up their poster on the board. Push pins and name tags will be provided. Water and snacks will be available.

Recommended poster size: 36” x 48” 

Other poster sizes are welcome. 

Looking for a place to print your poster? Find more information about poster printing at the UMass Amherst Learning Commons. 

Posters typically include at least: 

• Title 
• Authors 
• Background 
• Methodology 
• Summary 
• Acknowledgements 

Lightning Talks

Lightning talks should be around 4 minutes, and no more than 5 minutes in length. There will be a timer. Presentations will be stopped at the 5 minute mark. There is no limit to the number of slides that can be used, but, due to the time constraints, presenters are encouraged to use 3 slides or less. Videos can be included in the presentation, but please note that they may not appear or play as expected. Audio for videos included in the presentation will not be available. 

Expectations of Lightning Talk Presenters: 

• Presentation slides must be submitted by 5pm on Tuesday, March 24th to Amanda Hickey by email (amanda [dot] hickey [at] umass [dot] edu). Questions regarding sharing slides can also be directed to Amanda.. 
• Presenters will be expected to attend a check-in meeting over Zoom the week of the symposium (day and time to be determined) to go over day-of logistics and answer any questions. There will be an optional A/V check in the Campus Center Auditorium at 12pm on the day of the symposium.

Judging Criteria

Presentation judges will have "JUDGE" on their name badges and be carrying clipboards. Poster presenters should expect to have at least 2 judges come by their poster.

Presentation: 

• The presentation was delivered succinctly (4min) and clearly without jargon. 
• Understanding of the area of study was clearly demonstrated.
• Questions were answered appropriately and confidently. 

Content:

• Background and significance of the work are clearly described.
• The research strategy/design and the results/findings/expected results of the work are clearly described. 
• Conclusions, outcomes, and/or impact of the work are clearly described.

Visuals:

• Poster or slides are organized and content is clearly arranged.
• Graphs, tables, and/or illustrations are visually appealing. 
• Text and graphics are adequate size and easy to read and understand. 

Questions: Please email Lara Roach, CNS Director of Graduate Student Success and Engagement, at lararoach [at] umass [dot] edu.