Presenter Guidelines and Information

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

The UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference (formerly UTC ReSEARCH Dialogues Conference) will be held on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 in the UTC University Center. The event showcases the research and creative works of UTC undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff. Presentation formats include poster presentations, arts display, oral presentations, panel discussions, and performances. Community college students, and community partners are also invited to present.

Important Dates for Poster, Arts display, Oral, and Performance Presenters, and those convening a panel during the conference.

General Presenter Eligibility Requirements

UTC undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff in all disciplines may participate. Community college students, and community partners are also invited to present research/creative projects. We also invite recent UTC graduates to present research/creative projects.

Presenter Eligibility Requirements for UTC Undergraduate and Graduate Students

To present research/creative works at the conference, UTC undergraduate and graduate students must…

• be currently enrolled, degree-seeking students in good academic and judicial standing at the time of abstract submission and presentation.
• have an active UTC email address and UTC student ID.
• be working under the supervision of a UTC faculty mentor/advisor who is directing the project.
• have obtained clearance from the UTC Institutional Review Board before conducting research involving human subjects/participants.
• have obtained clearance from the UTC Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee before conducting research involving vertebrate animals.
• Have obtained clearance from the UTC Institutional Biosafety Committee before conducting research involving biological hazards (e.g. bacteria, viruses, synthetic nucleic acids, recombinant DNA, blood products, etc.).

Presentation Formats

Conference presenters may select from the following presentation formats.

1. Poster Presentations:
   The conference display boards are 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Posters printed larger than these dimensions will NOT fit on the provided display boards. If you have questions/issues about the poster specifications, please contact the conference coordinators [email protected]
   • Conference presenters are solely responsible for creating, printing, purchasing research posters, and bringing posters with them to the conference. Display boards and clips for display will be provided at the conference. Contact conference coordinators for printing resources ([email protected]).
   • Due to space limitations, printed posters must be sized to the following specifications: 3 feet (36 inches) height x 4 feet (48 inches) width.
   • Please use this poster TEMPLATE or make sure to size your poster file accordingly during the design process. If you do NOT know how to size the poster file, contact the conference coordinators ([email protected]) for assistance.
   • If the research was conducted under a protocol that was approved by the Institutional Review Board (for projects involving human subjects/participants), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (for projects involving vertebrate animals), or UTC Institutional Biosafety Committee (for projects involving biological hazards), make sure to note the IRB, IACUC or IBC protocol number on the poster.
2. Oral Presentations:
   NOTE: Oral presenters will receive their presentation room locations during conference check-in.
   • This format option includes the traditional “academic talk” accompanied by slides.
   • Presenters who would like to share an art video project, journalistic video project, or similar presentation should choose the oral presentation option.
   • Due to time and space constraints, oral presentations will run no more than 15 minutes in length including questions. We suggest preparing a 10-12 minute talk to allow ample time for questions.
   • Slide decks and other presentation materials should be stored in multiple formats including jump drives, cloud storage, and/or e-mail to ensure accessibility.
   • After checking in at the conference, and receiving their presentation room location, oral presenters will load slide decks (and/or other visual components) onto computers in the assigned presentation rooms. 
   • Download a UTC branded Oral PowerPoint presentation template:
     • 16:9 side-branded
     • 4:3 side-branded
     • 16:9 bottom-branded
     • 4:3 bottom-branded
   • If the research was conducted under a protocol that was approved by the Institutional Review Board (for projects involving human subjects/participants), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (for projects involving vertebrate animals), or UTC Institutional Biosafety Committee (for projects involving biological hazards), make sure to note the IRB, IACUC or IBC protocol number within the oral presentation.
3. Arts Display Presentations:
   • Conference participants displaying works such as painting, photography, journalistic photography, or similar should choose the arts display format option in the presenter submission form.
   • Display boards (3 feet tall and 4 feet wide), artist tape/mounting putty/pins will be provided for display.
   • Heavy paintings will be displayed on easels.
4. Performing Arts Presentations:
   • Creative performances are scheduled in the UC Auditorium.
   • Performances may involve musicals, theatre, dance individual performances or ensembles.
   • Performances will run between 30 minutes and one hour in duration. Performance duration is contingent on time and space availability, and the number of performance submissions received.
   • Performers will indicate set up needs in the presenter submission form.
5. Panel Discussions:
   • UTC faculty, staff, and students are invited to convene a panel of experts/ colleagues to discuss a topic or issue.
   • Panels run between 30 minutes and one hour in duration.
   • Panel duration is contingent on time and space availability, and the number of panel submissions received.
   • Individuals convening a panel will enter information for up to 3 co-panelists in the presenter submission form. The presenter submission form includes instructions for panels with more than 3 panelists.

Steps for Presenting Your Research/Creative Project at the Conference

1. Submit the presenter submission form. The presentation submission form deadline is 11pm on Sunday, February 25, 2024.
2. Watch your e-mail for a message from the conference organizers. The message will be sent prior to spring break and will include the time you are scheduled to present your research/creative project, panel, performance, or arts display during the conference. It will also include conference check-in location and other details. Please save this message for reference.
3. Prepare your presentation materials. If you are presenting a poster, you will need to design your poster, print your poster, and bring it with you to the conference. If you are presenting an oral presentation, you will need to create a slide deck, and bring the slide deck with you to the conference (saved on a jump drive, cloud storage, e-mail message or similar). Follow this links below to access poster and oral presentation templates.
   • 3'x4' Poster Template
   • 16:9 side-branded slide template
   • 4:3 side-branded slide template
   • 16:9 bottom-branded slide template
   • 4:3 bottom-branded slide template
4. Submit presentation materials to the Symposium portal by 11pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. See more information about the ForagerOne by Symposium online portal below.
5. Present your research at the conference! 

Abstracts/Projects Descriptions

Regardless of the format, a well-written abstract or project description is also required (400 word maximum). This document will be displayed with presentation materials on the Symposium portal and will be published in the conference abstract document.

Abstracts (or descriptions) should contain the following information:

1. A brief introduction to the project/subject area
2. A hypothesis, project goal, or specific aim
3. A brief description of the methods used to address the aim/goal
4. Results
5. Conclusions or Impact Statement regarding the body of work.

Download the Abstract Preparation Guide

Need help writing your abstract? Contact the Office for URaCE. 

Detailed information about copyright and fair use may be found on the UTC Library Copyright and Fair Use Information page.  It is recommended that you meet with a librarian for questions related to copyright and fair use. 

For more information about research and intellectual property contact [email protected] 

Research Compliance Requirements

Research that involves human subjects/participants, vertebrate animals or biological hazards typically requires oversight from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), respectively. Research that was conducted without the appropriate IRB, IACUC or IBC review and clearance cannot be presented at the conference.

• If your research was conducted in accordance with an approved IRB, IACUC or IBC protocol, please note the protocol number in your presentation materials.

Symposium by ForagerOne*

The 2024 UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference will be held in person at the UTC University Center. However, presenters are required to upload presentation materials (poster files, slide decks) to the ForagerOne by Symposium online portal by 11:00 pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

*Why are we asking presenters to upload to the portal? All presentations submitted to the portal will be archived online, and the conference abstract program will be generated in the portal. A copy of the program will be posted on the conference website.

ForagerOne by Symposium Media Upload Options

Media Option 1: Upload a PDF of the Poster or oral (slide deck) presentation.

If you are presenting a poster or oral presentation at the conference, and you would like to upload your poster file or oral presentation slide deck ONLY, select this option. The poster or slide deck presentation file must be saved as a PDF file. The PDF file must not exceed 10MB. Use Smallpdf.com or another online tool to compress your file if necessary.

NOTE: If you select this format option, you may also upload a video to accompany the poster or slide deck presentation. This is completely OPTIONAL.

Media Option 2: Video/Screencast only

If you would like to share a video presentation, slide deck screencast, or performance (3-15 minutes) without a poster file or slide deck, select this option.

NOTE: If you select this option, you will NOT upload the video or screencast file; rather, you will record the video, and upload the media file to YouTube. Please make the YouTube video settings UNLISTED**. You will include the link to the YouTube video within the submission form.

See presentation examples from the 2023 conference:

https://symposium.foragerone.com/utc-spring-research-and-arts-conference-2023

Copyright Information

Questions? Please contact the conference coordinators at [email protected].

• Presentation materials uploaded to the Symposium portal will be available on the internet. Before you upload materials to the portal, make certain that you are familiar with copyright laws and intellectual property protocols.
• Detailed information about copyright and fair use may be found on the UTC Library Copyright and Fair Use Information page. https://www.utc.edu/library/services/faculty-staff/copyright-fair-use
• It is recommended you meet with a librarian for questions about fair use. For more information about research and intellectual property, contact [email protected]