Poster Sessions
Poster Guidelines
Since 1954 IRAS has had a long and distinguished history of formulating themes for some of the most important cutting-edge conferences that have helped define and shape the developing field of science and religion. Recently, poster presentations have become a significant feature of the annual conference program.
Poster presentations permit personal summaries of papers on publicly displayed poster boards, including on-site question-and-answer sessions, information exchanges with peers and colleagues, and new ideas regarding your particular research program. During your poster session, you must be available for questions and discussions from conferees. Several people will typically visit your poster at the same time to discuss your work with you.
Poster sessions accommodate and broaden the participation of scholars who, in particular, wish to contribute their insights to the topic of each conference. The addition of contributed, peer-reviewed posters may yield new concepts to help propel and shape the conference theme. Up to 35 poster presentations will be selected on the basis of submitted abstracts, with a preference for those abstracts comporting with the conference theme. The results will be announced two months in advance of the meeting so that plans can be made for each presentation.
A Poster Selection Committee has been appointed and will be supplemented, if needed, by appropriate expertise. Posters will be grouped and presentation times will be assigned by this committee. All posters will be accessible to conferees for at least three days. Presenters will also be formerly assigned at least three hours for interactions with conferees.
Submissions for the poster session are due by April 30, 2010, and can be forwarded by e-mailing your abstract to conference co-chair Larry Rasmussen at lrryrasmussen@yahoo.com. The total length of the abstract, including title, author(s), institution(s) and text is limited to 250 words. Please follow Zygon guidelines for abstracts available at http://www.zygonjournal.org/author_guidelines.pdf
Special Distinguished Poster Awards
Two poster awards are available at each conference, one for the best student presentation and another for the most outstanding contribution by a postdoctoral scholar. The Eugene D'Aquili Graduate Student Award includes a $100 prize, a certificate of honor from IRAS and one year's membership in IRAS. Similarly, the Ralph Burhoe Postdoctoral Fellow Award includes a $200 prize, a certificate of honor from IRAS and one year’s membership in IRAS. To be eligible for these awards, a student or postdoctoral fellow must submit and have an abstract accepted for presentation at the conference. Eligible applicants will be contacted by IRAS to submit their CV, a copy of their abstract, and a letter from their advisor verifying his/her work. Criteria for these awards are that the poster 1) is potentially publishable in a peer-reviewed journal or book; 2) includes sound methodology appropriate to the issues being analyzed or synthesized; 3) discusses the implications of his/her thesis or findings for religion and science; and 4) includes a statement from a faculty mentor verifying that the poster represents the presenter’s own work as a student or postdoctoral fellow. The student or postdoctoral fellow must, of course, present his/her work during the conference.
The Poster Selection Committee will review and develop a list of nominees to be approved for these two awards by the IRAS Council at its annual meeting held before the conference. The awardees will be selected at the conclusion of the poster sessions and announced at the annual banquet near the end of the conference. To be eligible for these awards, the abstract must be submitted to the IRAS poster sessions, be accepted for presentation at the IRAS annual conference, and be presented at the appointed time during the annual conference. Following the selection of abstracts by the Poster Selection Committee, individuals with accepted abstracts will be notified by IRAS to send a copy of their abstract and a letter of support from their advisor. All nomination materials must be received by May 31, 2010. Those wishing to be considered for an award should specifically indicate that they are applying for an Emerging New Scholar Award when submitting their abstract for presentation at the conference.
Instructions for Accepted IRAS Poster Presentations
In contrast to a paper, a poster presents to other conferees only the most important information from your investigation. If available, bring copies of your original paper; in any case, prepare handouts that highlight the key points of your research. The typical elements of your poster are as follows: (1) Title; (2) Author(s); (3) Abstract – as modified from your submitted abstract to reflect further progress; (4) Introduction; (5) Methods; (6) Data/Results; (7) Conclusions; (8) Acknowledgments; (9) References.
Title: Attractive, simple, and readable from 20 feet away.
Author(s): Use first names and middle initials if space permits; include institution(s), department(s), location and country.
Author(s): Use first names and middle initials if space permits; include institution(s), department(s), location and country.
Abstract: Follow Zygon guidelines. Identify the topic, how you are studying it, and any variables. Identify questions and hypotheses. State your findings.
Introduction: Follow Zygon guidelines for style. Focus on questions raised and answered by previous research, the question you are asking, the rationale for asking it, and the methods you are using if relevant. Present only the basics – your audience is trying to understand your thesis and the results you have obtained, including the experimental design where relevant.
