Alex Kimball stands by his poster.
‘Twas the night before University Day and all through the campus, every creature was stirring–especially the presenters. The poster session this year was well attended, with the Multi-Purpose Room in the Campus Center packed with viewers and presenters. The posters were hung on the walls with care and their audiences came in waves with open minds and questions to ask.
Elise Gudde, a senior at UMPI, was presenting her poster “The Effects of Climate Change on Range and Distribution of Migratory Bird Species.” Gudde felt that many people found interest in her poster. She also felt that attendance was good, especially when it came to faculty members. “I think it would be good to get more students involved in it. Especially younger students to see what they could be doing,” Gudde said. This great opportunity for socialization between students and faculty is a fine way to learn about the many opportunities here on campus. Gudde has gained precious skills from participating in poster sessions herself. “It definitely helps with public speaking,” Gudde said, adding the importance of knowing how to put together a poster in the first place. “You’re going to have to know how to put research together.”
Alex Kimball, also a senior at UMPI, presented his poster “The Genetics of Maine’s Freshwater Snails” during the poster session. “It seems pretty popular. There were a lot of posters being presented,” Kimball said. Having presented for the past three University Day poster sessions, he knows all about what a great opportunity it is. “I hope people understand that there’s some really great research opps in the weirdest places,” Kimball said about the presentation’s impact on the public. “My research project consisted of a lot of different aspects and so something I was trying to get people to understand is that there’s a lot of different opportunities you can find on campus.”
Both Gudde and Kimball estimate that they presented to around 10 people directly. That’s a lot of presenting! Both seemed more than happy to do it and educate their viewers on their hard work. With a total of 27 posters, these happy experiences were repeated all over the MPR. Attendees got to sample a wide range of topics and left feeling much better informed. Make a mental note right now to catch next year’s poster session.
