Each spring quarter, undergraduate researchers are invited to showcase their research to fellow students and faculty. Students working towards departmental honors are required to participate in this event, and any Physiological Science students who have completed a 199 project are welcome.
The top three posters will be awarded a monetary stipend and announced at the departmental commencement ceremony.
2026 Annual Undergraduate Research Poster Day
Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
Time: 12:00pm-2:00pm
Location: 158 Hershey Hall
Register Here: https://forms.gle/bsKK1JozXG8thJvPA
Registration Deadline: Friday, March 20, 2026 at 5:00pm.
Abstract Guidelines:
Summarize your research project in 300 words or less. Include pertinent introductory/background information, as well as the methods employed and results obtained. Conclude by stating the significance of the research conducted.
The abstract should be one continuous paragraph. Do not separate it into sections.
Please run your abstract through a spell check and have it reviewed by your faculty mentor(s). Do not include references, figures or tables as they will not be included in the program.
Poster Guidelines:
Your presentation space is 4′ X 4′. Poster text must be written clearly and succinctly. The text should be printed in a 16-18 point font, so it is easily readable. Figures and tables must be clearly titled, and referenced in the text. The department will provide the poster boards and easels that day.
Your poster text should be divided into the following sections:
Title: Your title should capture the major aim/conclusion of your research, and, if possible, be written in active voice/ present tense. The title should be bold, in a very large font, and may span the entire 4′ width of the poster.
Introduction: Introduce and provide information about your topic of study. This should include relevant background information and a description of the area of study. Be sure to make the appropriate citations. Generally, the poster introduction is one or two paragraphs that conclude with the hypothes(es). The introduction should be printed double-spaced in a 16-18 point font.
Materials and Methods: Describe the materials and/or subjects used and the methods employed to test the hypothes(es). Include the nature of the data. This section may be written in several paragraphs. A list presentation is also appropriate for posters. Include any diagrams or figures that will help to clarify your methods. This section should be printed single or double-spaced in a 16-18 point font.
Results: Describe the data collected and the statistical (and/or other) methods used to analyze the data. Use clearly labeled tables, figures, photos, etc., to present the data. Be sure to refer to the appropriate table or figure in the text of this section. The results should be double-spaced in a 16-18 point font.
Discussion/Conclusion: State whether the results support or do not support the hypothes(es) tested, and the resulting significance. Relate the research you’ve conducted to other research in this area, and describe the contribution made by the study. Be sure to make the appropriate citations. Suggest future questions generated by your results and the significance of the results to other areas of science. This section should be one or two paragraphs, double-spaced in a 16-18 point font.
Literature Cited: Provide a listed of references cited in the text of the poster. Should be single-spaced in a 14-16 point font.
Acknowledgements (optional): In this section, you should acknowledge and thank the individuals, departments, programs, and funding sources, that contributed to the research. This section should be one paragraph, single-spaced in a 14-16 point font.
