Black Doctoral Network

The Black Doctoral Network welcomes undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students to participate in our Western Regional Conference, themed “Breakthrough to Excellence." If you have a research project, thesis or dissertation work you would like to present as a poster at a professional conference, the poster session is a good opportunity for you to showcase your academic work and receive constructive feedback from scholars in a friendly and engaging environment.

  Why Should You Participate?

• Gain experience in presenting scientific papers

• Gain exposure and feedback for your work

• Develop skills in effective communication for an academic audience 

• Meet students and faculty from graduate programs across the country

SUBMISSION INFORMATION 
Abstracts may be submitted by current undergraduate, master's and doctoral students from all racial backgrounds and on any topic. Previous accepted abstracts came from the fields of education, environmental sciences, biology, business, sociology, and health to name a few.

The abstract must be no more than 300 words in length. Include the title of the poster, issues you address in your work, your methods and theories, and results/conclusions of your research (if available).

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH POSTER COMPETITION

All undergraduate poster presenters will take part in a poster competition. First place winner will be awarded $150 Visa gift card. Second place winner will be awarded $100 Visa gift card. Third place winner will be awarded $50 Visa gift card. Winners’ will be announced at Closing Ceremony.

DECISION NOTIFICATIONS

Priority Submission Deadline: January 31, 2020 at 11:59PM EST.
Final Submission Deadline: March 8, 2020 at 11:59PM EST.
Registration Deadline: March 15, 2020

We will send decision notifications on a weekly basis starting February 3. Only one poster may be submitted to the poser session per presenter and one presenter per poster. All presenters must be 18 years or older.

Registration Information
Conference registration for graduate and doctoral students is based on membership status (member vs non-member). Member registration is $120/per person. Non-member registration is $150/per person. Groups of 3 or more can register using the group rate of $100/per person. Undergraduate students have a special discounted rate of $75/per person. By registering you will have full access to the conference sessions. No refunds will be granted after March 1, 2020.

Presentation Details
Easels and foam boards (40” x 60”) will be provided to display your work. Posters must be 36” high, 48” wide. The Black Doctoral Network Conference Committee provides both easels and poster boards (40” x 60”). The poster competition will run for one hour in length. Set up time will be 11:45am. Students should bring their posters to the conference. The BDN Conference committee will not be responsible for storing or keeping posters. Presenters must include, but are not limited to, these sections on their poster.

• Title: project title

• Authors: your name, faculty advisor's name, university name

• Purpose (or Objectives or Introduction)

• Theories & Methods

• Results or Findings

• Summary/conclusions 

Judging Procedure

A judge will evaluate undergraduate posters. During the poster session, judges will walk around and will notify you if they are judging your poster.  Students should give a ten to fifteen minute presentation to their judge. We suggest you give a nine or ten minute presentation and allow up to five minutes for questions. Please remain close to your poster during the competition so that you can begin your poster presentation quickly after the judges arrive. Once the judges arrive at your poster, you should be prepared to discuss the overall focus of the study, methodology, results and conclusions. Please allow time for questions from the judges. The last 10 minutes of the competition will be open for students to walk around the floor to view each others work.    

Judging Criteria
Abstract (points awarded prior to the conference)  

• Originality/Merit - 15 points 

• Quality of writing - 10 points

Poster and presentation (points awarded during judging at the conference)   

• Appearance - 20 points 

• Organization - 20 points 

• Knowledge/Presentation - 35 points

For questions regarding the Poster Competition please contact:
Deandra Taylor               DTaylor@blackphdnetwork.com