General Information

  • You can use the the Presentation Schedule to look up when & where your presentation(s) occur.
  • The Symposium is open to the public.
    • You are welcome and encouraged to invite family and friends to attend your presentation(s)!
    • Note that the audience of your presentation will likely include people with vastly different levels of knowledge of your discipline. It's worth thinking about how to effectively communicate what you've accomplished to such a mixed audience (it's not an easy thing to do, but is worth practicing!).
  • There is no official dress code at the Symposium, but presenters commonly decide to dress up (at least business casual).
  • Name tags & paper programs for presenters will be available from academic department offices a few days before the Symposium. The week of the Symposium, you will get a separate email from your department admin with instructions for where to collect your name tag.

Oral Presentations

Timing and Content of your Presentation

  • Oral presentations are divided among a number of sessions, each focusing on a specific subject or discipline.
  • Each session is moderated by a Union College faculty or staff member associated with the topic.
  • Each oral presentation is scheduled for 20 minutes in total length, regardless of the number of co-presenters. The 20 minutes includes 15 minutes for the presentation itself and 5 minutes reserved for questions and answers facilitated by the moderator.
  • Typically, each session includes between three and five presentations, though a few sessions contain six.
  • Questions about the contents of your presentation should be addressed to your project advisor.

Setting Up your Presentation

  • Please arrive about 10 minutes before the beginning of the session.
  • Before the session starts:
    • Introduce yourself to the faculty moderator and share with them how you prefer to be addressed and introduced.
    • Get your presentation set up on the lectern computer, or make sure you can successfully connect your personal laptop to the projector.
  • Every room is equipped with a lectern computer, projector and sound system for showing your presentation.

Presentation Etiquette

  • Plan to stay in the room for the entire session of talks in which you are presenting---it is considered poor form to come only for your talk and then leave.
  • Students and others attending the presentations should enter and exit rooms only during the Q&A time or between presentations.

Poster Presentations

Preparing your Poster

  • Your poster should be 4ft. wide by 3ft. high.
  • Make sure that your name, your co-presenter(s), and advisor(s) appear on the front of the poster.
  • Questions about the contents of your poster should be addressed to your research advisor.

Printing your Poster


  • Posters can be printed at the Copy / Printer Center in Reamer Campus Center (next to the mailroom).
  • Please plan to submit your poster for printing by Friday, May 1st using this form to ensure there is time for the Reamer Copy Center to print it. The Copy Center will print research posters for the Symposium---received by the deadline---free of charge. If you miss their deadline, you may need to make alternative arrangements to print and pay for your poster.

Setting Up your Poster

  • This year we are doing a single interdisciplinary session in Schaffer Library, 12:30-1:50 PM, on the first and second floor.
  • You can set up your poster as early as 10 AM. We'd encourage you to set it up before the poster session starts to allow attendees to view it for a longer time.
  • All poster presentations will be provided with an easel, a foam-core poster board, and push pins. If you have additional requirements beyond this (e.g., table space, access to electricity), please share them with us by Monday, April 27th using this form.
  • You can place your poster on any available board in the space that is not marked "Reserved". If you requested additional support for your poster, the UGR Office will reach out to you in the week before the Symposium about where to set up your poster in a "Reserved" space.

During the Poster Session

  • Plan to be standing near / at your poster during the poster session time, to discuss your project with Symposium attendees.
  • There will be light refreshments being served on the first and second floors of Schaffer Library.
  • Please remove your poster by 3 PM, otherwise it will be recycled.
  • Ruth Cotter and Matt Anderson will be rotating through Schaffer Library before and during the poster session, if you need any help or have questions.