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All current students at ÌÒ»¨ÉçÇøÊÓƵ are eligible for the student map competition. Each map entry must be associated with a single author. Group projects are not qualified for the competition but can be submitted for display purposes. 

Maximum poster size: width: 36", height: 27". Microsoft PowerPoint is recommended to design the poster. Find the Slide Size panel in Microsoft PowerPoint and change the parameters as needed. Use the following figure as reference only. 

Note: Be sure to set the page size before creating the poster. Failure to do so may result in a poster that is not printable at the expected size. When students create the poster for conference display, they need to verify the poster size expectations provided by the program. It is common that a conference has certain guideline on poster format. 

Each map entry must demonstrate an analysis of a stated issue and displays the results in a map(s). 

Title – Include a banner title. Below the title, list the author(s) and affiliation(s) in a slightly smaller font. 

Introduction – Introduce the research objective(s), give a small amount of background, and identify the significance of the study. 

Methods – Describe the study location and spatial data processing. 

Results – Demonstrate the most pertinent results as map(s) with necessary text. Check that the figures are large enough and easily read. 

Acknowledgement (optional) – Express the acknowledgment to particular organization(s) and/or person(s). 

All the materials (e.g., text & figures) should be of professional quality. Use all of the space on the title sheet effectively; avoid leaving too much empty space. Use the following information as a reference, although students may need to adjust the font size depending on the amount of text in the poster and the style of font students choose. 

Fonts – The poster should be easily read from about 3-4 feet away. An example of font sizes is: 

Title: 72-120 point. 

Author information: 48-80 point 

Headings (Introduction, etc.): 36-72 point 

Body text: 24-48 point 

Reference list: < 24 point 

Background – Background color should be white or a neutral color that is easy on the eyes. Note: Only white background can be used if students plan to use the map plotter located in the GIS lab in order to save ink. 

If there is some additional space available, consider adding additional paragraph spacing before increasing the font size. This can make the text more readable. 

Students are highly recommended to print a miniature version of their poster on letter size (8.5"×11") paper for any possible improvements before submission. If the content is too small to read on the miniature version, it will be too small to read on the final poster (Note: this kind of poster will be very likely rejected after submission). The same is true for pictures and figures – the graphical elements of the poster should be sharp and clear on the miniature printout. 

Students are required to submit a digital copy of their final version of the map in PowerPoint or PDF format to Dr. Hua Liu (hxliu@odu.edu) by Monday, November 11, 2024, 11:59pm. In the submission email students must indicate if they plan to use the map plotter located in the GIS lab or find their own source for poster printing. If you decide to print the poster with your own source, please submit the poster in hard copy to Dr. Hua Liu by the same deadline. Only one map entry can be submitted per student. Students will be notified about the acceptance before the event date. 

Accepted student posters will be printed out by using the map plotter in the GIS lab, unless a different choice is made by any individual student.