Symposium Preparation
The annual Statewide Symposium is an Arizona NASA Space Grant event that includes students and faculty from The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, AZSGC community colleges and high schools, and our affiliates and mentors. The all-day Symposium consists of presentations on a variety of topics based on research done by Space Grant interns and scholars during the current academic year.
Presenters must:
1) Submit an abstract before the symposium
2) Give a ~7 minute PowerPoint presentation at the symposium
3) Prepare for ~1-2 minutes of questions from the audience once the presentation has finished
4) Stay for the day and support your fellow Space Grant students!
Find our tips on how to best prepare for this professional conference below.
- Symposium Tips Presentation (PPT download)
Composing an Abstract
An abstract is a concise summary of your project that provides readers with the purpose and major ideas of your research.
Space Grant Symposium abstracts consist of only 150 words and need to address:
- Your research problem and the question(s) you have been trying to address and your objective(s)
- Summarize the methods / activities pursued to address the problem
- Briefly summarize your results / accomplishments
- Conclude with interpretations of those results and their significance
Download our Abstract Preparation Worksheet (Microsoft Word)
Download Example Abstracts from 5 Topical Areas (PDF)
Presentation Preparation & Delivery
Your ~7 minute PowerPoint presentation needs to dive deeper into the research addressed in your abstract. Your presentation should include:
- A statement of the problem, your questions, and objectives
- An outline of your methods and analysis techniques
- Results to-date and interpretations of their significance, use, and/or impact
Download our Presentation Preparation Notes (PDF)
Download our Practice Presentation Feedback Form (PDF)
Examples: View 2022 PowerPoint presentations by topical sessions here.
ASCEND Team Poster Presentations*
*Not applicable for 2023 Symposium; no poster presentations this year.
This section is applicable to ASCEND teams only.
Download our Tips for Effective Poster Design (Microsoft Word)
Download our Poster Templates (PowerPoint)
Download an example poster by Sarah Rogers, Project Manager, Phoenix CubeSat (PDF)