STEM Spark: INFORMS K-12 Poster Competition
Competition Sponsor: INFORMS Education Outreach Committee K-12
🌟 Overview 🌟
This poster competition invites INFORMS student members to participate with the goal of inspiring the next generation of problem-solvers. We seek posters that describe your research in an accessible and engaging manner for high school students, with the goal of motivating their future participation in analytical problem-solving practice.
🖼️ Theme “Make Research Real!” 🖼️
Tell a story about your research that high school students can understand and connect to real life. Submitted posters should include:
What is the challenge that is addressed?
Why is it an important problem for business, government, or society?
What methods and techniques are used, that is, what is the problem approach?
How is the research showing promise? What results have been obtained so far?
How would a good solution benefit the relevant problem stakeholders?
🎓 Who Can Enter? 🎓
ALL INFORMS Student Members. One entry per student member.
📌 Poster Requirements 📌
Poster Size: 36" x 48" (landscape orientation)
Poster Presentation: Submit a 3~5-minute recorded video that describes the poster
Criteria for Evaluation:
Audience: Poster content should be directed at high school level of comprehension
Content: Evaluated on clarity, alignment with theme, and the effectiveness of the research story
Copyright: Posters must be original work only, no copyrighted or third-party materials
Design: Visually engaging and creative - reduce text and highlight visuals
🏆 Awards & Recognition 🏆
🥇 1st Place: $600 + Certificate
🥈 2nd Place: $300 + Certificate
🥉 3rd Place: $100 + Certificate
Select posters and associated videos will be featured on our K-12 Committee website to support learning and STEM outreach.
📅 Timeline 📅
August 15 (Extended to September 1): Submission close
October: Winners announced & celebrated at INFORMS Annual Meeting
📩 Organizaters & Contact 📩
Zihan Zhang, Georgia Institute of Technology (zihan.zhang@gatech.edu)
Tuba Ketenci, Georgia Institute of Technology (tuba.ketenci@isye.gatech.edu)
Fenglian Pan, University of Arizona (fenglianpan@arizona.edu)
Yifeng Wang, Georgia Institute of Technology (ywang3989@gatech.edu)
Ken Murphy, University of California, Irvine (murphyke@uci.edu)