4th Annual Black Doctoral Network Conference
Undergraduate Research Poster Competition

10 SPOTS REMAIN!!! SUBMIT NOW!!!

The Black Doctoral Network is welcoming undergraduates to participate in our annual conference, themed “Changing Research for a Changing World." If you have a research project you would like to present as a poster at a professional conference, the poster competition is a good opportunity for you to showcase your academic work and receive constructive feedback from scholars in a friendly and engaging environment.

Why Should You Participate?

• If you are interested in pursuing a graduate or doctoral degree, the poster session offers you a great opportunity to meet students and faculty from graduate programs across the country as they view (and potentially judge) your poster

• Gain experience in presenting scientific papers
  

• Develop skills in effective communication for an academic audience
  

Abstract Details                                              

Abstracts may be submitted by sophomores, juniors and seniors (as of Fall 2016) from all racial backgrounds and on any topic. Previous accepted abstracts came from the fields of education, energy & environment, STEM, business, sociology, and health to name a few. 

The abstract must be no more than 250 words in length. Include the title of the poster, issues you address in your work, your methods and theories, and results/conclusions of your research (if available). 

The extended deadline to submit is Friday, September 19, 2016. We accept abstracts on a rolling basis and finalist will be notified as soon as possible, however abstracts received after the deadline will not be as strongly considered. Once your abstract has been accepted, you must register by September 30, 2016 to present your poster at the conference. Only one poster may be submitted to the competition per presenter and one presenter per poster. All presenters must be 18 years or older. Poster presentations will take place on Saturday, October 29, 2016. Winners will be announced on Saturday, October 29, 2016 during Closing Ceremony.

Prizes

Winners will be announced during the Closing Ceremony, on Saturday, October 29, 2016. First place winner will be awarded $100 Visa gift card. Second place winner will be awarded $50 Visa gift card. Third place winner will be awarded $25 Visa gift card. Winners' names and abstracts will be posted to the BDN web site.

Who We Are

The Black Doctoral Network is a clearinghouse for individuals of African descent who are holders of or scholars engaged in the pursuit of doctoral degrees from accredited institutions of higher learning worldwide. We provide opportunities for networking and collaboration and foster interconnectedness within the black intelligentsia for the purpose of eliminating the achievement gap among persons at all education levels while creating a pipeline for the most underserved students toward the upper echelons of the academy and beyond. 

Conference Information

The 4th Annual Black Doctoral Network Conference will be Thursday, October 27 to Saturday October 29, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Atlanta hotel. It will bring together both world renowned and emergent scholars and professionals from the social sciences, STEM and humanities to function as a resource, a support system, as a space of intellectual exchange, and a place to create connections and develop collaborations. The conference will feature interdisciplinary panel presentations, interactive roundtables and workshops. Professors and corporate professionals from various fields will converse and give insight on the need for interconnectedness throughout the academy and community. 

Registration Information

Conference registration is $125 for undergraduate presenters. By registering you will have full access to all conference events from Thursday, October 27 to Saturday, October 29, 2016. All accepted poster presenters must register by Friday, September 30, 2016. No refunds will be granted as of August 31, 2016.

Hotel Information

The hotel rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn are filling up quickly. The nightly rate is $169. Due to the popularity of this event, we cannot hold hotel rooms for our presenters. To ensure that you receive accommodations at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, please secure your reservation as soon as possible. Reservations can be made online at http://bit.ly/1LmPde8 or over the phone at 404-577-2001. To receive the discounted rate of $169, you must tell the hotel that you are part of the Black Doctoral Network Conference and provide the group code: BDN.

Presentation Details

Easels and foam boards (40” x 60”) will be provided to display your work. A panel of judges will evaluate posters and grant prizes to first, second, and third place winners. Posters must be 36” high, 48” wide. The Black Doctoral Network Conference Committee provides both easels and poster boards (40” x 60”). The poster competition will run for one hour thirty minutes in length. During this time judges will walk around and will notify you if they are judging your poster.  Students should give a ten to fifteen minutes presentation to their judge. We suggest you give a nine or ten minute presentation and allow up to five minutes for questions. The last 30 minutes of the competition will be open for students to walk around the floor to view each others work.  Students should bring their posters on the day of presentations. If you have them delivered to the hotel it is your responsibility to ensure arrival. The BDN Conference committee will not be responsible for keeping posters.

Presenters must include, but are not limited to, these sections on their poster.

• Title: project title
• Authors: your name, faculty advisor's name, university name
  
• Purpose (or Objectives or Introduction)
  
• Theories & Methods
  
• Results or Findings
  
• Summary/conclusions 

 Judging Procedure

Please remain close to your poster during the competition so that you can begin your poster presentation quickly after the judges arrive. Due to scheduling difficulties, students will not be added to or moved to another time period for the competition. Once the judges arrive at your poster, you should be prepared to discuss the overall focus of the study, methodology, results and conclusions. Please allow time for questions from the judges.

Judging Criteria

Abstract (points awarded prior to the conference)
·         Originality/Merit - 15 points
·         Quality of writing - 10 points
Poster and presentation (points awarded during judging at the conference)
·         Appearance - 20 points
·         Organization - 20 points
·         Knowledge/Presentation - 35 points

Questions? Email us: contact@blackphdnetwork.com

To view 2015 presentations:  http://blackphdnetwork.wildapricot.org/2015-Highlights