Poster guidelines | Oral Presentation guidelines | Website guidelines | Submit

BOOM will attract a broad spectrum of attendees including students, faculty, administration, friends, alums, corporate sponsors and corporate recruiters. Your audience will probably not have an in-depth understanding of your project, so try to make your poster and presentation as easy to understand as possible.

General Information

• Computer demos in addition to posters/handouts are recommended.
• During BOOM, a maximum of 2 project leaders can be present at the same time.
• Check-in on the day of the event will be based upon the location of your display (we assign it). You’ll be notified of the check-in time nearer to BOOM.
• Questions? Email boom@cs.cornell.edu.

• Display your message clearly and strikingly to attract people who might be interested. Strive to attract attention—use color where possible.
• Ensure that your poster is quickly readable from a distance, with an open and uncluttered layout. Choose a typeface and point size that’s easily readable from at least 5 ft. away.
• Poster information should flow from top left to bottom right.
• Cover the key points of your work (keep text to the minimum amount needed to describe your work). More detailed information should be included in your web page, handouts, and/or short oral presentation.
• The poster should be self-explanatory.
• Lower case type is easier to read (Bits On Our Minds vs. BITS ON OUR MINDS).
• Standard poster size is 22" x 28"—if you need something larger, contact the BOOM organizers. A poster holder (for standard-sized posters) will be provided.

Consult with your faculty mentor as you create your poster. They have done posters before and will be a good resource for you.

Poster Specifications

Your 22” x 28” BOOM poster will sit in a lightweight poster holder (which will be provided for you) on top of a table.

The materials that you use to make your poster can vary. One option is to print the entire poster on one big sheet. This service is available at Mann Library. Printing on a plotter can be time-consuming; if you choose this method be sure to plan ahead and allow plenty of time for printing. Some local printers (for example, The Word Pro or Gnomon Copy) are also able to print posters. Other students prefer to mount their poster on mat board.

Suggested Content

• Title
  A descriptive title should appear at the top of your poster in large letters. Below the title put your name and the name(s) of all the people who significantly contributed to the project. Include the college and department affiliations for all authors listed.
• Summary
  Include a short summary of your project – include background, objectives and methods used so that it will be easily understood by all audiences.
• Results
  Include text, tables, and graphics. Be sure to include a heading and/or caption explaining each table or figure/graphic.
• Conclusions
  Discuss conclusions of the project and describe the next step for the study if it were to continue.

Critique your poster before production...

• Is the poster audience-friendly?
• Does it fit on a 22" x 28" poster board?
• Is it readable from at least five feet away?
• Is it appropriate for the BOOM audience?
• Is it open and free of clutter?
• Has it been carefully edited and proofread?
• Does the title reflect the study?

Download poster guidelines in .doc format.

Consult with your faculty mentor as you create your presentation. They have all done these types of presentations before and will be a good resource for you.

Oral presentations should be no longer than 1-2 minutes.

Project presenters should be prepared to give this "overview" talk repeatedly to BOOM visitors and encourage questions.

Oral Presentation Tips

• Prepare your presentation in advance so that your ideas are logically organized and your points clear.
• Rehearse. If possible, give your talk to one or more colleagues and ask them for suggestions for improvement. Keep in mind the 1-2 minute length guideline.
• Give an opening statement to acquaint the audience with the nature and purpose of the study. Speak slowly and clearly. Word choice should be simple: use active words and short sentences. Words should reinforce visual material.
• State clearly in simple, jargon-free terms what the point of the research is, what you discovered, and what you think it means—its conceptual, methodological, or practical value.
• Do not read your paper. Speak your ideas directly to your audience, referring—if necessary only—to an outline of key points and transitions.
• State your final conclusions and end on time.

Download oral presentation guidelines in .doc format.

• All projects must have a URL specific to the project (i.e., each project must have its own individual webpage; no class or group project pages can be accepted). See previous projects for examples. Your webpage will be added to the BOOM project archive after BOOM '06 is over.
• Your website should begin with a very brief introductory paragraph that describes your project. You may continue to modify your site after submitting the URL to us.

Project submission is now closed, and we can not accept any late submissions. If you have already submitted a project, you may still log in to edit your personal or project information.