National JSHS - Program fact sheet and guidelines for students

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The National Symposium - Requirements for the oral presentations

Session timing and conduct

• The research presentation may not exceed 12 minutes, followed by a maximum 6-minute question period. A session moderator will aid the student speaker in maintaining this schedule and in fielding questions from the audience. The procedure for maintaining the time includes a 10-minute signal for the student, and finally a 12-minute signal. At the 12-minute point, the student speaker must stop the presentation even if he or she has not finished.
• Set-up time for the presentation is a maximum of 2 minutes. This set-up time is not included in the above presentation time.
• Following the presentation, the session moderator will ask for audience questions.
• The speaker may entertain questions while the exchange appears interesting and relevant. Questions intended to harass the student speakers will not be allowed by the session moderator.
• The speaker should repeat a question before answering so the audience may understand the entire dialogue.

Use of Audio Visuals - Available equipment. Available audio-visual equipment in each session at National includes:

1. overhead projector;
2. LCD projector;
3. projection screen; and
4. laser pointer.

Slide projectors will be provided on a request basis. Additionally, PC-based computers, with a CD-Rom and floppy drive, will be in each session room configured with Microsoft 2000 Powerpoint and Adobe Acrobat. The use of Macintosh computers or use of other software requires students to bring their own equipment.

Equipment operators will not be available in each session. Students may enlist the help of a teacher or fellow student, especially when using overhead projectors. Students should number visuals in sequence so an assisting operator or the presenter can easily reshow one. Many times, visuals are reshown during the questioning period.

Aids to the presentation. No written handouts are permitted. Research apparatus may be used if it is integral to the presentation and only if the apparatus is hand-held.

Software such as Powerpoint may be used to prepare or drive slides or overheads. If using LCD projectors and computers, student presenters must:

• Review Guidelines for Preparing Powerpoint Presentations (http://www.jshs.org, Guidelines section).
• Go to the speaker ready room to rehearse and test equipment for formal presentation. The location and schedule for rehearsals will be announced at the National symposium.
• Convert illustrations and other graphical representations into Powerpoint 2000 slides or 2x2 slides for presentation during the symposium.
• Save the Powerpoint presentation to an IBM-compatible CD, and use the CD on available PC-based computer and LCD systems.
• Prepare for any equipment problems by bringing back-up overheads or slides.
• Start computer equipment that may be brought to the symposium prior to the designated presentation time. No additional presentation time will be allowed to cue up a presentation.
  

Student presenters who use video in their presentation must comply with the following groundrules:

• Only VHS, ½" tape, format is permitted.
• The video component cannot make up more than two (2) minutes of the presentation.
• No audio or background music is permitted other than sounds that are an integral part of the research. Recorded or mechanically produced narration is not permitted. Narration must come from the speaker.
• Videos (and audio, if any) may be used only for those aspects of the presentation that cannot adequately be presented by slides or overheads.
• Video material presented must be an integral part of the research and should not be a substitute for presentation of data.
• Videos must not be used for presentation of common procedures, illustrating equipment or showing laboratory facilities.
• Videos should illustrate work that was done and should not be used for stimulation or aesthetic value.

The National Symposium - Suggestions to prepare for the oral presentations

• Remember, you are the expert. No one in the audience knows as much about your research investigation as you. Therefore, remember to explain your research in enough detail so the audience will understand what you did, how you did it, and what you learned.
• Whenever possible, avoid jargon or unnecessary terminology. If it is essential to use specialized terms, remember to explain the specialized term briefly. Give your audience enough time to understand what you are trying to convey.
• Graphs, tables and other representation help explain your results. Keep them simple and uncluttered. Focus on important information; for example, remember to name the variables on both axes of a graph, and state the significance of the position and shape of the graph line.
• Deliver your presentation at a comfortable pace.
• It helps to practice your presentation before a non-specialized audience. Practice will help perfect the presentation and the timing. Do listen to the advice of your non-specialized audience but also get help from a teacher or other advisors as needed.