Presentation Phase
What’s On A Poster?
DUE DATE for FINAL Poster Submission to Judy:
Wednesday, March 8th!
Developing a Poster
The objective of a scientific poster is to convey to the audience the molecular story you wish to tell. The
poster should be able to effectively communicate the story in the absence of a presenter standing next
to it. If you are presenting alongside your poster, details can be added, but there are often times when
posters are displayed when no one is actively presenting the poster. A visitor to your poster should be
able to read/look through the contents of your poster and learn the important points about your
molecule. A good poster does NOT have lots of text for the reader to wade through.
A poster is a visual aid and should include pictures/graphics/illustrations. Text that is included with the
poster should supplement the pictures rather than be the focus of the poster. When looking at a poster
for the first time, your eye should see more pictures than text boxes.
The focus of the poster should be on the molecular story that is associated with your molecule. The
spotlight is not on the model. The model is a device to help you tell the story; therefore, your poster
should not be an extensive summary of your model and should not include a model description sheet.
The poster should communicate the molecular story in a visual way, using the model as a tool to aid in
that communication. A picture of your model on your poster would be appropriate since the SMART
Team project does contain a modeling component.
Your poster should include the following:
Title Section (required)
This section should have:
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Logo. Add the 2015-2016 SMART Team logo in the upper left hand corner of your poster in the title
section of your poster. We recommend that you put your school’s logo and your mentor’s institution logo
in the upper right hand corner in the title section of your poster.
Title. The title should have the name of the molecule and may have a brief description of the function or
significance of the molecule. Feel free to make this a “catchy” title, but the significance of the protein
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should be explicit in your “catchy” title. The title should be located between the logos at the top of your
poster.
Authors. The authors are the students who are members of the SMART Team. The teacher and mentor
will be listed separately. Names may be listed in order of level of contribution with the person doing most
of the work listed first, or the names may be listed alphabetically.
Teacher(s). List the teacher’s name(s).
School. Name of school, address, city, state, zip code
Mentor(s). List name of mentor, title, research institution, city, state, zip code.
The title section should not take up more than 5 inches in height on your poster!
Note: Abstracts are optional for the 2016-2017 SMART Team posters.
Introduction (required)
This section should include an introduction to your story. After a person reads your introduction, he/she
should be able to briefly tell you what your molecule is, what its function is and any other interesting
information about your molecule. This is the “hook” or “big picture” that is going to command your
audience’s attention and make them want to stay and learn about your story.
Now is not the time to describe the details of your model. The focus of your story is on the function and
significance of your molecule.
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What is interesting about your molecule?
What role does it play in your body when it functions normally?
Does it play a role in a disease?
If the molecule is mutated or missing, what happens?
This section should be brief as the remainder of your poster will be more informative in terms of specific
details. The introduction is designed to give the reader information about your model that they should know
before they look at the rest of your poster. This is where you can engage your audience and make her/him
want to look at the rest of your poster.
Methods (optional)
If you decide to include this section on your poster, the methods section should be a brief description of the
technology used to create your model. This is where you can talk about Jmol and the Zcorp printer. This
section is not absolutely necessary, but may be included on your poster.
Molecular Story (required)
The bulk of your poster should focus on the molecular story that you wish to tell in association with your
molecule. This is what we refer to when we say “What is the molecular story behind this model?” Remember
that you need to start with a big picture, or a more general question. Be sure to provide enough background
information about your topic, before getting into the specific protein or biomolecule that you have modeled.
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What story can you tell about the molecule?
What is the function of the protein?
What do we know about the molecule?
Why are you modeling this molecule?
What is your mentor’s interest in this particular molecule?
What questions are being asked about this molecule?
It is better to use visual aids rather than text boxes in this section. These pictures can be of anything related to
your topic. For example, if you are talking about a protein that is located on nerve cells, it would be helpful to
include a picture of a nerve cell and where the protein you are modeling is located. Since a poster is a visual
presentation, you do not want to laden the poster with lots of text. Replace as much text as you can with
pictures, diagrams, schematics, etc.
When you are developing your story, pretend that you are telling it to someone who does not know anything
about your protein. What information will they need in order to understand what you are describing?
Process of Science (required)
Add in a piece of data, or explain an experiment that was instrumental in understanding the protein and how
it functions, or the structure of the protein. We encourage all teams to talk with your mentor about whether
such a piece of data is available and appropriate for your poster. The addition of this piece will contribute to
the “process of science” part of the molecular story.
Summary (required)
This section should have a short paragraph in which the information you have presented in the “Story” section
is summarized to 2 or 3 sentences. This summary is intended to wrap up everything to a final thought or two.
It will bring together all of the points that you have included within your poster. The conclusion portion of
your poster will enable your reader to walk away with the most important thoughts that you have about the
molecular story described in your poster.
Bibliography / Works Cited / References (required)
Each poster should have a list of the works cited – this list should also include the PDB ID and primary citation.
For example, structure 102L should be referenced in this section as:
PDB ID: 102L
D.W. Heinz, W.A. Baase, F.W. Dahlquist, B.W. Matthews (1993). How Amino-Acid Insertions are Allowed in
an Alpha-Helix of T4 Lysozyme. Nature 361: 561
Follow this basic format: Authors (year). Title. Journal. Volume and Issue when available: Page
Please also note that all Jmol images and/or photos of your model on your poster should
have the PDB ID next to it.
Please be sure to cite all diagrams, photographs and illustrations used on your poster.
Basic Points About Your Poster
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An effective poster is simple
Organize your poster for easy viewing by your audience – don’t make them search around your poster for
the next point
Direct your audience through your poster (either with numbers/sections or good flow of information)
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Use large text size to indicate importance
Graphics should dominate your poster
Use readable font sizes – poster should be easily read from about 3-4 feet away
Please note:
36 inches
The poster size is to be set to 36 inches (height) by 48 inches
(width). (See next section on how to do this).
48 inches
This is the required size for printing on the MSOE plotter. If you
choose to use alternative sizes, then you will need to print your
poster at your own expense.
Technical Information
How do you make this poster? We recommend that you use PowerPoint. In this program, you can customize
the size of the page to be the size of the poster (48 in wide, 36 in high). On this larger sized slide, you can add
pictures and text boxes to accommodate the requirements that we have listed above.
Customization of the Page Size
Using PowerPoint 2003
Use the File pull down menu and select “Page setup”.
Set the slide size as “custom” and enter the width “48
inches” and the height “36 inches”. Select the
orientation of the slide as landscape.
Using PowerPoint 2007 and 2010
Click on the “Design Tab” and then select “Page Setup” Set the slide size as “custom” and enter the width
“48 inches” and the height “36 inches”. Select the
orientation of the slide as landscape.
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Once you have set up the page size, add in your different components of the poster. Use standard fonts
and contrasting colors.
If you have the capability of printing your own poster, feel free to do so. If you do not have access to a
poster printer, you can send us your PowerPoint file and we will print the poster for you.
If you choose to have MSOE print your poster, you must submit your poster PowerPoint file by March 22nd
to allow time for printing.
Email the file to Judy at [email protected].
Font Size and Picture Size Guidelines
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The font size for the poster title should range from 75-100 pt.
The font size for text on the poster should be no smaller than 24 pt.
The font size for the reference list could be reduced to 14-16 pt. Keep picture sizes from 4” X 6” to 5” X 7”
unless you design a diagram that is the focal point of your molecular story. Use the rulers to measure your
picture sizes.
Keep picture sizes from 4” X 6” to 5” X 7” unless you design a diagram that is the focal point of your
molecular story. Use the rulers to measure your picture sizes.
If you have any questions about how to design a poster using Power Point, we will be more than happy to
assist you. Please contact Judy ([email protected]).
If you decide to use a program other than PowerPoint to design your poster, please save your poster as a
PDF in order to send it.
A good guide to poster design can be found at:
http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/dept/Tips/present/posters.htm
One Final Note: Your poster is a great way to creatively tell your molecular story – have fun with the
design! Just be sure to maintain the scientific accuracy as you convey your story.