The Gulf Coast Postdoc and Student Association is delighted to extend an invitation to all individuals to join us for the 2025 Inter-REC Poster and Flash Talk Competitions. This annual event is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 19, 2025. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the diverse research being conducted by UF undergraduate and graduate students in the form of two competitions: Poster and 3-minute flash talk.

ALL undergraduate and graduate students in UF IFAS are encouraged to participate. This is an excellent opportunity to get together as a community and communicate the progress and results of your research. Moreover, there will be cash prizes for the best three posters, the best three 3-minute flash talks, and the best undergrad category. The prizes, which were sponsored and will be cash awards of $300, $200, and $100 for the first, second, and third place in each contest, respectively, and $200 for first place in undergrad category. Winners will be announced on the date of the event.

The event will be held in person at the GCREC campus in Balm, Florida. Snacks and lunch will be provided to participants.

•  Registration is open from July 1st to August 22nd, 2025.

• You will need to submit the title and a 250-word abstract of your poster, or 3-minute flash talk along with the information of contributing authors. The presenting author should be listed first.

• The final list of participants will be decided upon the “first come first served” rule. The final list will be sent by the end of September.

• There is no specific subject of research requirement, so all students in UF IFAS are welcome to submit.

• Titles and abstracts for registration must be uploaded by August 22nd, 2025, through the official GCPSA Google form link:  https://forms.gle/YreX14aBiPziDPM79.

• The competitions will be judged by special committees and the winners will be announced at the closure of the event.

• Cash prizes will be sent to winners via their UF-registered bank account.

• The size of the poster should be 42” width by 28” height.

• Poster must include a title, and author’s name (and contributing authors).

• Your poster should cover the same material as your submitted abstract.

• Place the title of your poster prominently at the top, author names and contact information beneath.

• Prepare all diagrams or charts neatly and legibly in a size sufficient to be read at 1 meter distance.

• Paragraph and figure caption text should be at least 24-point font (0.9 cm height) and headers at least 36-point font (1.2 cm height).

• A serif font (e.g. Times) is often easier for reading main text, and a non-serif font (e.g. Arial or Helvetica) is suggested for headers and labels.

• Presenters will be provided with display boards to mount their posters.

• Each presenter will deliver a live presentation that should not exceed 3 minutes.

• Avoid jargon and academic language.

• A single static slide is permitted in the presentation (no slide transitions, animations, or ‘movement’ of any description)

• Imagine that you are explaining your research to a close friend or fellow student from another field.

• Highlight the outcomes of your research and the desired outcome.

• Kindly register through the link https://forms.gle/rr1dYofNKBorzTm66.

• Abstract submission by August 22nd, 2025: https://forms.gle/YreX14aBiPziDPM79 .

• For inquiries, please contact: 

  • GCPSA: ifas-gcrec-gcpsa@ifas.ufl.edu  

  • Namrata Dutt, Communication Chair: namrata.dutt@ufl.edu  

  • Kalara Dissanayake, GCPSA President: kdissanayake@ufl.edu