Statewide Symposium: Tips for Creating Your Abstract, Presentations, & Posters

Symposium Preparation

The annual Statewide Student Research 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 and posters on a variety of topics based on research done by Space Grant interns and ASCEND scholars during the current academic year.

Presenters must:

  1. Submit an abstract by the given deadline
  2. Prepare their talk (~7 minutes, PowerPoint) or poster presentation by the given deadline
  3. Prepare for questions from the audience
  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.

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 (not including your title) 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 (DOCX)

Download Example Abstracts (PDF) from 5 Topical Areas

PowerPoint Presentations: 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 PowerPoint Presentation Preparation Notes (PDF)

Download our PowerPoint Practice Presentation Feedback Form (PDF)

Examples: View 2024 PowerPoint presentations by topical sessions

ASCEND Team Poster Presentations: Design & Delivery

This section is applicable to ASCEND teams only. Please read below for instructions on designing your scientific poster, poster templates in the 3'x4' format, and example posters from prior years.

Download our Tips for Effective Poster Design (DOCX)

Download our Poster Templates (PPTX)

View ASCEND poster presentations from the 2025 Symposium by visiting this link.