Presenter Schedule:
2026 STEM Career Exploration and Symposium Schedule: available in late July 2026
Resources for Presenters:
These resources may help you to create your poster or presentation and help you prepare to present. Check with your ISRPA program coordinator or, if you are not part of an ISRPA-affiliated program, check with your research mentors to see if they have a specific template or other expectations.
Dr. Celia Elliots’ Resources on Scientific Writing
Creating Scientific Posters – PDF
U of I Box Folder of Research Poster Templates
Home – Research Posters – LibGuides at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Poster printing resources (Talk with your program coordinator/mentor — they may have some funding and/or specific expectations): Illinois Union Document Services; Beckman Print a Poster
Creating Scientific Presentations – PDF: Remember to make your font clear and large enough to be able to be read at the back of the room.
Presenter Expectations:
Take advantage of this opportunity to connect! Come prepared to talk with people from across STEM disciplines and across levels of expertise. Make sure to attend the Networking Fair to learn more about STEM career opportunities and supports. You can find a list of participating partners here.
Support each other. Attend as many sessions as you can. There is nothing worse than talking to an empty room. Showing up provides support for other students and you get to make the most of this learning opportunity at the same time. Coming just for your own presentation is disrespectful to other presenters who have put a lot of effort into preparing for this event.
Be professional. Make sure your mentor reads and approves of your presentation. Ensure you have acknowledged your mentors and your funding sources. Practice your talk — this will also help you feel more confident!
Dress for success. Wear business-casual professional attire. You will be meeting with scientists and employers and want to make a good impression.
Guidelines for Oral Presenters:
Before the event: Prepare a 10min presentation. Check with your program coordinator or mentor about any additional format expectations. You will need to submit your presentation by 9am on July 29 (if you are having access issues, try a different browser, clearing your cache or using an incognito tab). You will receive an email with instructions on where to upload the file so it will be ready for you on the room’s computer on the day of the event. Use this format for your filename: Lastname_Firstname_ShortTitle. Do not plan on using your own device. Check the event program so you know the presentation order for your session.
On the day of the event: Arrive at least 10 minutes before your session starts so the moderator can ensure that everyone is present and everything is ready to go. During your presentation, make sure to project your voice and speak clearly so the attendees at the back of the room can hear you. After your 10 minute presentation (the moderator will give you a time warning to stay on schedule), there will be a ~3 minute Q&A session. This will allow for about 2 minutes for switching between speakers.
Guidelines for Poster Presenters:
Before the event: Your poster can be a maximum size of 3ft tall x 4ft wide. For presenters from ISRPA programs, check with your program coordinator about your submission due date and any additional format requirements. For presenters who are not in an ISRPA program, you are responsible for printing your own poster. Talk with your mentor(s) about due dates and expectations — most mentors will need time for a round of edits before the poster is sent to print. In addition to the poster, prepare a short talk (~1min) and a long talk (~5min).
Morning of the event: Check the presenter schedule to find your poster number and write that lightly in pencil on the back of your poster (or if you have a fabric poster, tape a Post-it with your number on the back of your poster).
Day of the event: In the morning, drop off your poster when you check in — we will have bins available arranged by poster number. Although we will have some volunteers to help, you are responsible for hanging and taking down your poster. As you will see in the event program, there is a short turn-around between poster sessions, so watch the time and be ready to transition. Arrive at least 15 minutes before your session to retrieve and hang your poster. Push pins will be available. Make sure to hang your poster in the correct numbered spot.
During the poster session: Before you start explaining your poster, ask your audience if they want the short (~1-2min) or long (~5min) talk. You will have visitors from across STEM, so also ask them about how familiar they are with your topic. Be prepared to give a little more background information as needed. Then, dive in and have fun! If you are in the first session, there will be another group coming to use your spot, so make sure to keep track of the time — you are responsible to taking down your poster after you session.
Guidelines for Science Slam (Lightning Talk) Presenters:
Before the event: Prepare a 3-minute, one-slide talk for a non-expert audience (think – middle schoolers, friends who are non-STEM majors, etc.) to communicate your research topic in an engaging, entertaining format. You will present live. No videos are allowed in this format, and keep in mind the strict 3-minute time limit. The Illinois Graduate College Research Live! has some great examples from Illinois graduate students: https://grad.illinois.edu/research-live/about. You will need to submit your presentation by 9am on July 29. You will receive an email with instructions on where to upload this file (if you are having access issues, try a different browser, clearing your cache or using an incognito tab) so it will be ready for you on the room’s computer on the day of the event. Use this format for your filename: Lastname_Firstname_ShortTitle. Do not plan on using your own device.
On the day of the event: Arrive at least 10 minutes before your session starts so the moderator can ensure that everyone is present and everything is ready to go. Check the event program so you know the presenter order. During your presentation, make sure to project your voice and speak clearly so attendees at the back of the room can hear you.
Registration and Title Submission:
Registration:
Make sure to register. Deadline: July 1, 2026: https://go.illinois.edu/2026Registration
To complete the form, you will need to know if you are giving an oral presentation, science slam, and/or poster presentation.
- Note: These are all in-person formats unless you have specific permission from your program coordinator and/or mentor — they will also need to let Britt Carlson know that you are unable to give your presentation in-person.
- Note: You will not be able to change your presentation type(s) at a later date, so make sure to discuss this decision with your program coordinator and/or mentor.
- Note: If you are co-presenting with other students, make sure that each presenter completes their own registration. There will be an opportunity to let the organizers know the names of your co-presenter(s). Check with your program coordinator and/or mentor about presentation expectations — some programs/mentors do not allow co-presenting.
Title Submission:
Presenters will need to submit the title of their presentation for inclusion in the event program. Each registered presenter will receive and email (to the address used for registration) with a link to the title submission form. Title submissions are due July 20.
- Note: The presentation type(s) should match the information submitted on the registration form.
- Note: If you are co-presenting with other students, you can submit just one form. The form will ask you to write the names of the presenters in the order you’d like to see them in the event program. Make sure to discuss this with your co-presenters and mentors before completing the form.
Checking-in:
In all cases, student presenters should check-in at the station outside of Illini ABC, which is located on the west side of first floor of the Illini Union. Bring your i-Card with you to make check-in faster! Poster presenters — don’t forget to pencil your assigned poster # on the back of your poster.