Information Session for the Impact Symposium

Submit an Abstract

Ready to showcase your work? Follow these simple steps to submit your abstract through Oxford Abstracts, the platform we use for the IMPACT Symposium.

Create an Account
- Go to to Oxford Abstracts and create an account using your NU credentials and official NU email address.

Fill Out Your Information
- The platform will prompt you to provide details about yourself, your advisor, and your project. Make sure to fill out all the required fields.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1 – Authors and Affiliations

Enter your information first.
Check the box to mark yourself as the primary presenter.
Choose your Campus, Degree, College, and Department from the dropdown menus.
If you worked on the project as part of a team, add the other student authors here.
(Note: Don’t include your graduate advisor or faculty mentor in this section—they’ll go in a separate section.)

Step 2 – Faculty Mentor Information

Tell us whether your faculty mentor is at NU or from another institution:
- For NU mentors: Fill in their name, and select their college and department from the dropdown menus. Don’t forget their official NU email address.
- For external mentors: Enter their name and official email address.

Step 3 – Project Details

Category: Pick the category that best describes your project from the dropdown menu.
Title: Write a clear and concise title in 15 words or fewer. This will appear in the abstract book.
Abstract: Write a short summary of your project in 150 words or fewer.
Focus on:
- The question or challenge you’re addressing
- Why it’s important
- What insights or findings you’d like to share
  (Hint: The IMPACT Symposium is all about showing the real-world impact of your work!)
Key Terms: Add up to four terms that describe your topic so reviewers and attendees can easily understand what your project is about.
(Example: For a project titled “Dimension Reduction Approach for Understanding Resource-Flow Resilience to Climate Change,” you might use terms like “climate,” “model,” and “resource flow.”)

Step 4 – Research Subjects and Intellectual Property

Does your project involve:
- Human subjects?
- Live animals?
- Intellectual property (IP)?
If yes, you’ll need to provide:
- Protocol number (ask your faculty mentor if you’re unsure)
- Invention disclosure number (if applicable)

Step 5 – Permissions and Approvals

To present your work at the IMPACT Symposium, you’ll need to confirm and approve all required statements on the platform.

Once submitted, your abstract will be reviewed for human/animal subjects, intellectual property, and editorial content.

You’ll be able to see approval decisions through the platform.

Making a Poster

Once your abstract is approved, it’s time to start working on your poster! Don’t wait too long—you’ll have about 2-3 weeks to complete it. Follow these steps to get started:

Use the Provided Template

The IMPACT Symposium provides PowerPoint templates for posters. These templates are designed for a 24 x 36-inch poster, giving you plenty of space to showcase your work.
Bonus: Posters created using the official template qualify for free printing by Reprographics at the Boston campus.

Qualifying for Free Printing

To take advantage of free printing, make sure:
You use the 24 x 36-inch template. (Larger sizes don’t qualify.)
Submit your poster as a PDF to Office of the Provost by February 14, 2025 (more information to be provided soon)

(Reprographics needs 7-10 business days to print, so late submissions aren’t guaranteed to be ready before the event.)

IMPACT-Symposium-Poster-Template

Step-by-Step Guide to Your Poster

Step 1 – Poster Content Checklist

Title: Use the same title as your approved abstract.
Authors: List all collaborators, including your faculty mentor.
Subject Category: Match the category you used in your abstract.
Key Terms: Include up to four terms to help the audience quickly understand your field.
Acknowledgements: You can thank your funding agency, or other people who were not listed as authors.

Step 2 – Focus Areas for Your Poster

The template will guide you to organize your content into four key sections:

Background, Motivation, and Goals
- What is the core question, problem, or challenge your project addresses?
- Why did you choose this topic, and how does it fit into your field?
- Provide context: How have others approached this problem, and how does your work build on theirs?
- Explain why your work is important—to people in your field and beyond.

Process and Methods
- Summarize how you approached the question or challenge.
- Highlight your methods and why they were chosen.

Findings and Products
- Share the main findings or creative outcomes of your project.

Conclusions and Next Steps
- What are the key takeaways?
- Discuss potential next steps for your research or creative work.
- What implications does your project have for your field and others?

If you need resources on how to create your poster, please click here.

Complimentary Workshop on Poster Design

Are you looking for an additional consultation on how to build an engaging poster and present it? Don’t miss the complimentary workshop series by CommsLab and Communication Collaborative.

Thursday, January 30th 2-3pm ET
- “Poster Perfection: A Step-by-Step Guide to Showcasing Your Research and Projects Successfully”
  This webinar will provide practical guidance on creating high-quality posters appropriate to your poster fair audience. Poster presenting events are an accessible and easy way to start sharing your research and projects. Topics in this webinar include using design software, adhering to poster guidelines, and incorporating professional polish to stand out in any poster event.

Thursday, February 6th 2-3pm ET:
- “Designing Poster Narratives”
  Discover how to visualize complex information in ways that are both accurate and visually appealing to your specific poster fair audience. This workshop covers strategies to balance text, data, and visuals for maximum clarity and impact. Examples and templates will be provided from a wide range of fields.

Thursday, February 13th 2-3pm ET:
- “Crafting Posters with Visual Impact”
  Learn the art of designing posters that grab attention and effectively communicate your findings. This workshop covers layout techniques, typography, color theory, and polishing your poster with critical final touches before printing.

Thursday, February 20th 2-3pm ET:
- “Delivering an Impactful Poster Pitch: Strategies for Engaging Your Audience”
  Whether you’re preparing for your first poster session or looking to refine your delivery, this interactive workshop will help you deliver an engaging and effective poster pitch. Learn how to craft a compelling story to showcase your work and capture the attention of your audience. Explore proven communication strategies and public speaking techniques designed to make your presentation stand out during poster sessions.

Presentation: What to expect?

Before the Event

Once your poster is printed and ready to go, take some time to think about how you’ll present your work. Remember:

Target Your Audience: The IMPACT Symposium is open to graduate students, faculty, staff, and possibly employers. Your presentation should be understandable to an educated but non-technical audience.

Be Ready to Network: Employers and professionals may attend, so use this opportunity to make connections and discuss your work confidently.

At the IMPACT Symposium

The event will include two poster sessions. Here’s what to expect:

Poster Session Timing

First Session (11:15 AM – 11:45 AM) :
- Set up your poster between 9:45–11:15 AM.
- Be sure to remove your poster after your session ends at 11:45 AM.
Second Session (12:45 PM – 1:15 PM) :
- Set up your poster between 11:45 AM–12:45 PM.

Presenting Your Poster

During your assigned session, stay by your poster to present and answer questions about your work.
Be prepared to engage with attendees and explain your project in a clear, approachable way.

For Presenters