Criteria for Student Awards

Below are the criteria evaluated by the judges for our student awards.

Oral Presentations

Professionalism

Did the presenter project themselves as a professional with language, appearance, and/or demeanor?

Delivery and Visual

Good volume, avoids monotone, enthusiastic, confident, avoids use of “uh, um, etc.” eye contact, not overly reliant on notes. Are the visuals effective, accurate, and supportive of the topic without unnecessary information?

Introduction of Topic and/or Formulation of Hypothesis

Was the Intro succinct? Was an adequate background provided? Was there a clear and significant rationale for the project/study? Was the hypothesis clear and evident?

Methods/Procedure/Approach

Was the explanation of procedures clear and concise? Was there a good use of graphics to explain the methods? Was the experiment or study method well-designed?

Results

Were there clear, readable, visibly-labeled figures? Was statistical analysis explained well, identifying any statistical tests used to obtain results? Are the results non-trivial?

Conclusions and/or Recommendations

Do the conclusions follow logically from the data? Was there a demonstrated tie to the hypothesis? Were conclusions short, readable, and to the point?

Poster Presentations

Introduction of Topic and/or Formulation of Hypothesis

Was the Intro succinct? Was an adequate background provided? Was there a clear and significant rationale for the project/study? Was the hypothesis clear and evident?

Methods/Procedure/Approach

Was the explanation of procedures clear and concise? Was there a good use of illustrations to explain the methods? Was the experiment or study method well-designed?

Results

Were there clear, readable, visibly-labeled figures? Was statistical analysis explained well, identifying any statistical tests used to obtain results? Are the results non-trivial?

Conclusions and/or Recommendations

Do the conclusions follow logically from the data? Was there a demonstrated tie to the hypothesis? Were conclusions short, readable, and to the point?

Appearance of the Poster

Was the poster readable and informative? Were appropriate colors used without distracting from the text and illustrations? Were fonts and sizes appropriate? Was the order and flow of the poster easy to follow? Were there any errors or misspellings?

Overall Evaluation

Was the research of good quality or the project engaging? Was the poster and presentation clear and understandable? Was the research topic significant and useful? Did the presenter provide appropriate recognition to other research participants?