Presenters for the 2020 Research Day must register by Friday, and attendees should register by March 20.

Iowa State’s Research Day 2020 is scheduled for March 25. For those who have attended or presented at Research Day events in the past, familiar activities expected to return.

New and enhanced ways for campus researchers and scholars to participate with this year will be presented by the Office of the Vice President for Research, according to a press release.

Attendees looking to present a poster demonstrating their interests in research and project results are encouraged to consider using a new poster design. The design, called the #betterposter, is designed to improve the experience of the presentations for the researchers and viewers.

Michael Dahlstrom, professor and interim director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, is a member of the Research Day Faculty Advisory Committee.

In the press release, Dahlstrom said poster presentations are a great way to share the importance and excitement of their work visually with others, or they can be a messy compost heap of manuscript scraps.

“The #betterposter design helps to focus the content and layout of a scientific poster to communicate what an audience actually wants,” Dahlstrom said.

The #betterposter design template highlights critical information, has consistent color schemes and uses plain language.

Multiple instructional sessions will be offered before the Research Day by the Office of the Vice President for Research. The sessions have the purpose to help presenters learn about the #betterposter design and how it can communicate research effectively to the public.

The posters using the #betterposter design will be printed and paid for by the Office of the Vice President for Research.

After registering to present at the 2020 Research Day, they must qualify. To do so, the presenters should select the option for #betterposter during the event registration. They will then attend one of the training sessions and submit their poster(s) for event approval by March 2.

This year, the Research Day Steering Committee has specified time during the activities of the day for attendees to participate in a Grand Challenge networking event.

The networking event will allow participants to have a chance at meeting with colleagues from various disciplines and explore initiatives related to Iowa State’s five grand challenge themes, which include promoting healthy lives, developing global citizens and vibrant societies and more.

Other opportunities to be expected at Research Day 2020 will include attendees giving talks about the focus of their research and information about campus research services.

“Research Day is a valuable platform for bringing the entire Iowa State research community together,” said Vice President for Research Sarah Nusser. “Focusing this year’s networking event specifically on our grand challenge themes will bring a sharper focus to this important opportunity for collaboration and help spark big ideas that ultimately lead to interdisciplinary exploration of new solutions that benefit society.”

More details for Iowa State’s 2020 Research Day and past Research Day events can be found on the Office of the Vice President for Research’s website.

Those wishing to attend and present at Research Day 2020 can register online, also on the Office of the Vice President for Research’s website.