SPHHS Research Day

Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
Time: 11am - 4pm
Location: Campus Center Auditorium

The SPHHS will host its annual Research Day on Friday, April 25, 2025, from 11 am to 4 pm in the Campus Center Auditorium. 

Now in its 28th year, SPHHS Research Day is an annual showcase for the research and practice conducted by students working with faculty mentors in all of our departments. Undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral researchers, are invited to present their work to the faculty, staff, peers, and the broader community.

Poster presentations are judged by a faculty jury. SPHHS graduate students and undergraduate students in Kinesiology, Nutrition, Public Health Sciences, and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences are eligible for prizes, as follows:

Two graduate student posters will be selected to receive SPHHS Travel Awards to be used toward expenses associated with presenting at a conference of their choice. One of these will be given to the first-place winner from a graduate student in a public health department (Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Environmental Health Sciences, Health Promotion and Policy); the second $1,500 prize will be awarded to a graduate student in the Health Sciences (Kinesiology, Nutrition, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences). There will also be three Graduate Student Poster Prizes and three Undergraduate Student Poster Prizes.

Research Day Poster Abstract Submission Form

Submit your poster abstract here!

Abstract Submission Deadline:  Sunday, April 13th, 2025 (11:59 PM).

Research Day Schedule

11am–12:30pm: Poster session A

12:30–1:00pm: Lunch/break

1–2:30pm: Poster session B

2:30–3:30pm: Break and short research presentations:

  • Melanna Cox, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Kinesiology: “The Power of Curiosity and Humility in Science: How What You Don’t Know Can Take You to Places You Never Knew Existed”
  • Kruuttika Satbhai, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Environmental Health Sciences: “Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals tissue-specific transcriptomic changes induced by perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio)”
  • Jacob Thomas, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Kinesiology: “Translational Mechanics for Sustained Mobility”

3:30–4:00pm: Poster awards presentation

Poster Abstract

Format: The abstract word limit is 350 words. There are no specific formatting requirements, but we encourage students to structure their abstract as follows: Background, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Preliminary results or Intended analyses are acceptable for the abstract.

How likely is it that my abstract will be accepted for a poster session? We want all students to have the great opportunity to participate in Research Day. If your SPHHS faculty sponsor has approved your abstract submission, we will too! So, please plan to start working on your poster right away.

Sample Poster Template

A sample PPT template can be found here. Students are welcome to use it or one provided by your faculty sponsor.

Poster Design Instruction

Present your information so a coherent and straight-forward story is told, clearly articulating the greater implications of the work presented for public health and health science. Emphasize the most important points and avoid overwhelming the viewer with too much detail. Specific recommendations include:

  • In the introduction, briefly summarize the necessary background that led to this work, clearly identify the purpose or specific aims of the study, and identify the questions asked or hypothesis(es) tested. If your poster is in the “practice” category, please describe the theoretical basis for the intervention or policy.
  • Provide sufficient detail about methodology used to conduct the study, including number and necessary demographics of the participants studied. If your poster is in the “practice” category, provide supporting evidence for the approach or policy and the goals and objectives to be achieved.
  • Results can be effectively presented by tables, figures, quotes, illustrations, and/or photographs. For each table, figure, etc., a clear legend will go a long way in highlighting and briefly discussing the essential points. For program plans, please provide a clear logic model.
  • For the summary and conclusion, briefly state the "bottom lines" of your work, its significance in your field, and clearly articulate the implications for public health/health science.
  • In the acknowledgment section, identify funding source(s), institutional support, and individuals who have contributed significantly but are not listed as authors. 

Please note: You may present preliminary data.

Poster Printing

Research posters can be printed at the UMass Amherst Learning Commons. Follow the link for more information.

Competition Criteria

Research Day posters should be a display of a project in which you have actively participated. Please be sure your poster and presentation is geared for a broad audience as judges and student presenters likely will not be experts in the same research area. All posters will be judged based on the qualities below for awards including travel awards plus the top 3 graduate and undergraduate posters/presentations. (Reminder: Post-doctoral fellows and students outside SPHHS with an SPHHS faculty advisor are encouraged to participate in Research Day, but are not eligible for awards.)

Quality of Poster - Visual Presentation based on presenting each of the following:

  • Context – significance of the presented research
  • Methods
  • Results (data/philosophy/theory)
  • Discussion/conclusions
  • Study implications

As well as:

  • Clear and easy to read
  • Graphs and figures easy to follow

Quality of Poster - Oral Presentation based on concisely articulating each of the following: 

  • Context - significance of the presented research
  • Methods
  • Results (data/philosophy/theory)
  • Discussion/conclusions
  • Study implications