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Virtual Presentation Instructions

Student Submission Checklist

The information below is what will be needed to register as individual presenters for the symposium.
  • Presenter Name(s)Names of Presenters including co-presenters
  • Gatorlink Email Address
  • Faculty Mentor
  • Mentor's College
  • Research CategorySelect from a list all categories that apply to your research.
  • Project Title
  • Authors
  • Abstract (max 250 words)
  • Headshot (square)
  • Poster (max 2500px wide)*see templates below
  • Research Pitch Video Link (max 3 mins)Uploaded to YouTube
  • Zoom Meeting Link

CURE Course Submission Checklist

The information below is what will be needed to register as a CURE Course presenter for the symposium.
  • CURE Course Title
  • CURE Faculty Mentor (include titles)
  • CURE Faculty Email Address
  • CURE Faculty Mentor's College
  • Graduate Innovator
  • Student Presenter NamesNames of Presenter(s)
  • Group Photo
  • Research CategorySelect from a list all categories that apply to your research.
  • Project Title
  • Abstract (max 250 words)
  • Poster (max 2500px wide)
  • Research Pitch Video Link (max 3 mins)Uploaded to YouTube
  • Zoom Meeting Link
See below for helpful tips and templates

Helpful Tips

Printable Word Document of Symposium Instructions

Download
How to look your best!

Headshot or Group Photo

Requirements for the Symposium (Individual Presenters and Co-Presenters)
  • Square:  This should be a SQUARE picture of your head and shoulders, suitable for publication in a professional publication.
  • File name should be your name.  EX  Moses_Jennifer_Headshot.jpg
  • Photo Size:  minimum 400px by 400px, maximum 700px by 700px.
Requirements for the Symposium (CURE Courses)
  • Attire: Business attire
  • Group Photo – does not have to be square.
  • Can be a zoom photo or a collage of photos (examples below)
  • File name should include student names. 
  • File should be saved as a .png or .jpg.
  • Photo Size: maximum 1500px wide.

*NOTE:  Please do not risk safety of individuals in order to capture a group photo.  Please use social distancing guidelines or one of the socially safe procedures listed above.

Helpful Resources for Students:

The Molm Family Gator Career Closet alleviates the financial strain of purchasing professional clothing for career fairs, interviews, and the workplace. This service is available to all University of Florida students with a valid UF ID and UF alumni up to one year after graduation. 

Students will find some of the following items in the closet: suits, blazers, dress pants, professional skirts, heels, dress shoes, flats, belts, ties, scarves, jewelry, blouses, cardigans, and button-down shirts.

Professional Headshots

Professional headshots are provided by the Student Government headshot booth located on the Ground Level of the Career Connections Center. Times are listed below and are subject to change.

Closet and Headshot Hours

  • Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Login to Gator CareerLink to schedule an appointment
  • Open during University academic sessions
  • Closed during University breaks and holidays

 

Example of Collage of Headshots

Example of Zoom Group Photo

Additional Tips:

Read This! How to Take a Decent Head Shot Using Your Phone

As you start to work on your profile, using a smartphone is completely acceptable for the resolution, and with the newer phones, having portrait mode (not mentioned in the article) works nicely for a headshot. The only thing I would say in contrast to the article above, is to not stand too close to your backdrop. If you can, put at least the same space between your camera and yourself as with you and your background, or even more distance from your background. That nice blur in the back makes the photo look professional.

*Remember – Lighting is Key!  Not direct sunlight, but an indirect light will decrease the shadows in your photos, natural light is best.

Cropping your photo:

Most of you already know how to crop a photo on your phone, but if the photo is on your laptop, sometimes this is not the same procedure.  View the articles below for more information.

Showcasing Your Research

Poster

Symposium Requirements:
  • Size:  4:3 ratio and less than 2500px wide
    • PowerPoint Dimensions: 26″ x 19.5″
    • Canva Dimensions:  2496px x 1872px
  • Landscape orientation preferred for online display purposes.
  • File Name:  Poster_Moses_Jennifer.png or jpeg/.jpg
Additional Information:

The goal of a research poster is to have an organized visual display of your research project and findings.

Elements of a Poster:
  • Title
  • Author(s) and Institution(s)
  • Background/Introduction
  • Abstract (optional)
  • Methodology
  • Results (if you have them)
  • Conclusions
  • Future Directions
  • References
  • Acknowledgements (optional)
Characteristics of a Good Poster:
  • Organized – Has an ordered, logical flow of information.
  • Concise – Uses bullets and phrases vs long sentences & paragraphs.
  • Self-explanatory – Tells a story and conveys your take-away message and is easily understood even if you aren’t present.
  • Visually Appealing – Attractive and makes visitors want to stop by and ask questions.
Tips for Effective Poster Presentations:
  • Tell readers why your work matters
  • Overall appearance – graphics, text, colors
  • Organization – objective, results, conclusion, etc.
  • Minimize text & use appropriate graphics
  • Sketch your poster layout on paper first
Templates and Logos
CUR Logo is required for all CUR scholarship students
2020 Virtual Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium
Examples from Previous Presentations
Download this template

Template Poster Example

Your 3 Min Elevator Pitch

Video

Symposium Requirements:
  • Max 3 mins
  • Must provide a Youtube Link
Additional Information:

In your presentation, it is not necessary to cover all the minute details; if someone wants to know those, they can ask a question in the comments. Instead, focus on the bigger picture of your research, results, and conclusions. Treat this video as a normal presentation, with a camera replacing the audience, and a set time limit. Cover the important topics of your research and get your point across. For examples on conveying information concisely, check the video links below:

In your video, some elements you may want to include are:

  • Hook – This is a sentence or two that you use to get people’s attention and draw their interest. It could be a question or a statement that introduces the topic and its importance.
  • Introduction – After you deliver the hook, it is crucial that you explain who you are (name, year, and major), in what capacity you completed this work.
  • Set-up or Question – After capturing their attention and introducing yourself, you want to quickly indicate (if you have not already) why your issue is important and how your research fits a need, but mostly you want to set up your central research question or problem, hopefully sparking the audience to start asking you more questions.
Video Recording Tips:
  • Please dress in business attire.
  • Pick an interesting background (avoid plain walls or overly busy shelving).
  • You do not need to print your poster, however you can and should reference it as it will be visible for the audience.
  • For groups that may not be able to record together in person it is acceptable to record a conference call.
  • Plan what you are going to say in your presentation, you only have 3 minutes so make them count.
  • Make sure the room you are in has good lighting; your face should be visible without any major shadows on it.
  • The camera should be level with your face or pointing slightly down at it. Do not have your camera pointing up at your face.
  • Check your audio after recording to make sure you are easily understandable. It may be necessary to re-record and speak louder, slower, etc. Also listen for ambient noise as you may not notice it while recording but the audience will hear it.
  • Use plain language, your elevator pitch should target all audiences including those that know nothing about your topic.

Once the presentation is recorded please upload it to YouTube on your own account, make the video public or unlisted depending on preference, you will use this link when registering for the symposium. Below is information on how to upload.

Video Resources:

To achieve the look of the example video above, you can use a combination of the following technology.

Video Recording Tools:

Any of the following tools can be used to record your presentation.

  • Webcam with Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts (Depending on your webcam, this may not be the best option for resolution)
  • Cellphone (Newer cellphones have better recording resolutions)
  • Digital Camera 

Technology for screen capture:

These tools offer the ability for you to record and interact or annotate while sharing your poster.

Video Editing Software:

These tools allow you to combine elements, your video that you recorded along with your screen capture to make a great video.