SPHHS Research Day
Date: Friday, April 14, 2023
Time: 2 - 5 p.m.
Location: Student Union Ballroom
The SPHHS will host its annual Research Day on Friday, April 14, 2023, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.
Now in its 26th 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 and prizes awarded in distinct categories. Two graduate student posters will be selected to receive a $1,500 travel award to be used toward expenses associated with presenting at a conference of their choice. One of these, titled the Delta Omega Honor Society Award, will be given to the first-place winner from a graduate student in 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). Additional prizes will be awarded for best graduate student poster presentations and separately for best undergraduate student poster presentations.
Research Day Poster Abstract Submission Form
Schedule for the Day
Set up time is from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Poster boards and push pins will be supplied. You will need to be present during the poster viewing and judging from 2 to 4 p.m.
Sample Template
A sample PPT template can be found here. Students are welcome to use it or one provided by your faculty sponsor.
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.
Note: Below is the competition criteria for 2022. The criteria is currently under review and updates for 2023 are pending.
Competition Criteria
Judging for Research Day awards will be a combination of scores for abstracts, posters, and presentations based on the qualities below. The poster is a display of a project in which you have actively participated. ALL STUDENT POSTERS will be judged unless a student specifically requests to be exempted (reminder: post-doctoral fellows are encouraged to participate in Research Day, but are not eligible for awards).
Quality in Writing of Abstract
- Importance and Originality
- Methods
- Supporting data/philosophy/theory
- Discussion/conclusions
Quality of Visual Presentation
- Clear and easy to read
- Graphs and figures easy to follow
Quality of Oral Presentation
- Importance and originality
- Methods
- Supporting data/philosophy/theory
- Discussion/conclusions
- Study implications
