Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who can participate?
   • undergraduate students
   • graduate students
   • recent graduates (i.e., December graduates)
2. Can graduate students participate?
   Yes, graduate students are welcome to participate in the student conference. For example, many graduate students from the School of Education participate.
3. Can recent graduates participate?
   Student who graduated the previous December are welcome to participate in the conference.
4. Why should I participate?
   There are many reasons to participate in the student conference, including the opportunity to demonstrate your achievements in a forum outside of your regular classroom. In addition, there is the potential for awards and additional recognition of your achievements. All of this activity beyond the classroom will be impressive to graduate schools or future employers.
5. What type of projects can be submitted?
   We will accept nearly any project you are proud of. Students have submitted papers they wrote for a class or presented in class. Students have presented the outcome of independent projects. They have also presented creative writing, dramatic readings, and musical compositions.
6. When is the conference?
   The conference is always scheduled the last full week of classes in the spring semester; which is typically Thursday and Friday of the third week in April.
7. What is the conference schedule like?
   Below is a typical conference schedule. Days and times are subject to change. See the current schedule for actual presentation days and times.
   
   • Thursday 4:00-6:30pm
     Students present papers, posters, and table-top displays
   • Friday 8:30am - 1:00pm
     Students present papers, posters, and table-top displays
   • Friday 1:15 - 2:30pm
     Awards luncheon with IU Southeast research award winners as speakers
8. When is the abstract deadline?
   March 15
9. What is the difference between the showcase and posters?
   The showcase provides an avenue for campus clubs/organizations to promote themselves to the students within the campus community. The showcase also encourages individual students or group of students to create demonstrations to highlight aspects of their field of study. The posters/presentations section of the conference is where students report on their research or creative endeavors. For example, a student who is involved in tracking animals in a field biology research project, for the student showcase the student may demonstrate how GPS units are used to track animals, but for their poster or presentation session the student will report on their findings from tracking the animals.
10. What is the difference between a poster and a table-top display?
    
    • Posters typically consist of the slides of a PowerPoint presentation printed out so they can be thumb-tacked to a bulletin board. Some posters may consist of large sheets of paper printed with the information by a special printer (e.g., Kinko's).
    • Table-top displays typically consist of a tri-fold board that can stand on its own on the top of a table. PowerPoint print-outs maybe mounted on the tri-fold board.
11. How much space will I have for my table-top display?
    Tables are 8 feet long and 30 inches wide. Each student will be given one-half of a table for their table-top display; in other word: 4 feet x 30 inches.
12. How much space will I have for my poster?
    The bulletin boards we have are 6 feet wide and 4 feet tall. If there are a lot of students presenting posters, then you will get to use half of that area: 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall. If there are fewer students presenting posters, then you will be able to use the whole area: 6 feet wide by 4 feet tall. The e-mail informing you of the acceptance of your abstract should let you know which size you will be able to use. If you have any questions, contact the conference organizers.
13. How much time will I have for my paper/performance?
    Each student is allotted 15 minutes. Typically, that is divided into 12 minutes for the paper or performance and 3 minutes for questions.
14. Who are the judges?
    There are both internal and external judges for the student conference. Internal judges are members of the student conference planning committee and other IU Southeast faculty members. External judges are members of the local community or faculty members from other schools.
15. What are the judges looking for?
    The judges are looking at content, format, ability to answer questions, and professionalism. For more complete information, view our Judging page.
16. What should I wear?
    Conferences are a professional arena in which participants present their work; therefore, it is important to dress as a professional. Professional dress does not include jeans nor does it mean dressing for a night on the town. Nice pants or skirt, nice shirt, nice shoes. Men are encouraged to wear a tie.
17. Should I stay to hear the other students' talks or posters?
    Yes. You appreciate having an audience, so do other students. Courtesy indicates that it is better to stay and hear other talks or view other posters than to leave in the middle of a session.