Caltech Middle School Robotics Conference 2005

Your Process | Designing Your Poster | Definition of a Conference

For Students: Your Process

Task	Description/Instructions	Time Period/Due Date
Conduct research to learn about robots and the underwater environment.	• Visit the websites included in this packet. Visit your school or community library. • Consult with your teacher, your Caltech mentor, and your parents.	Beginning now through the writing of your poster abstract. (An abstract is a one paragraph description that provides all the information about your project.)
Brainstorm ideas for your poster.	• Alone or with your partner, write as many ideas as you can on a piece of paper. • Go through your ideas and select the best one or two. • Discuss these ideas with your teacher and Caltech mentor.	Beginning now through the writing of your abstract.
Write the abstract for your poster.	• Write a 200-250 word description of the task that your robot will perform and why. • Include how you will address the challenges of working in the ocean.	By November 18
Email, fax, or mail the abstract to Caltech	Mail: Sarah Marcotte Education and Outreach Coordinator CNSE - Caltech Mail Code 136-93 Pasadena, CA 91125-9300 Fax: 626-795-4765	By November 18 We'll compile all of the abstracts in a conference booklet.
Start collecting images and creating drawings for your poster.	• Find photographs or drawings that portray your underwater environment. • Draw some detailed images of your robot performing its task. • Label parts of your drawings (like "Camera for taking pictures").	November 18
Construct your poster.	• See instructions below on poster construction. • Don't glue anything down until you have really decided on where things should go!	November 23
Bring your poster to Caltech for the Conference!	Be prepared to present your ideas as people walk by and look at your poster.	December 3, 2005

go to top of page Designing Your Poster
At the conference, you will be presenting your concept for an underwater robot in the form of a poster. Poster sessions are a common part of professional conferences and give presenters a chance to talk to people one on one, rather than doing a presentation to a large group of people. You will stand next to your poster on the day of the conference and answer questions about your robot concept. At that time you will have the opportunity to talk to and exchange ideas with other students, scientists, and engineers. The posters will be hung horizontally (with the widest dimension, left to right) on a 4 foot x 6 foot wooden panel. Posters with graphics are more interesting to look at than those with all text, so be sure to include drawings or digital pictures on your poster. Size of your poster: No smaller than 29 inches x 38 inches No bigger than 36 inches x 48 inches 29 inch poster board (like cardboard) works well. go to top of page	Where to buy your poster board and materials: You can get a poster board at any office supply store such as Office Depot, Staples, or at an art supply store such as Aaron Brothers. Poster mounting techniques: You can use tape, glue, or even Velcro to stick things onto your poster. We will give you thumbtacks on the day of the conference to hang up your poster. What we will provide to display your poster: Rectangular easels to hold the poster, pushpins, tape. We will help you set up your poster on the day of the event. DON’T FORGET to write on your poster… -Your names -Your school name -A title for your project
Definition of a Conference What is a conference?
A conference is a meeting, usually one or more days in length, at which people come together to talk about their work and discuss new and interesting ideas. You can meet many new people with interests similar to yours, and present to them your work and ideas for the future. You can also learn more about other projects related to yours.	Learning about other projects can give you new ideas about how to solve a problem, use your work for different applications, or change the direction of your future work. Many occupations have annual conferences at which people gather and focus on personal growth and making their work better.