TAMEST Protégé Poster Challenge Guidelines

The TAMEST Protégé Poster Challenge will recognize research that could have significant impact on scientific understanding and society. This opportunity provides protégés an opportunity to showcase their research and innovation to research and industry leaders. Forty poster abstracts will be invited to participate in the poster session on a first come, first served basis. Posters will be organized into one of four categories: Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology. Please note: posters do not need to connect with the overall theme of the meeting (AI and Machine Learning).

Posters will be available for viewing the afternoon of Monday, February 5 and all day Tuesday, February 6. Dedicated visiting hours for the posters will be 4:00–6:00 p.m. the afternoon of Tuesday, February 6.

Judging will begin when abstracts are submitted through a pre-screening process. Out of the 40 abstracts submitted prior to the conference, 20 will be selected and visited by judges at the conference. However, any protégé who submits an abstract is still invited to participate in the poster challenge and share their research with the conference attendees. Attendees will include National Academy members, CEOs and business leaders, federal agency leaders and the greater scientific research community in Texas.

After review by judges the afternoon of Tuesday, February 6, four protégé poster challenge participants (one for each category) will be selected to become finalists. Finalists will be invited to an exclusive VIP breakfast session the morning of Wednesday, February 7 and present their poster on the main stage to the TAMEST conference audience later that morning (five-minute presentation).

Recognition and Prizes

The four protégé poster challenge finalists will receive:

• Invitation to an exclusive VIP breakfast session with special guests
• Opportunity to present research on the main stage of the TAMEST conference (5-minute presentation)
• Post-event publicity and certificate of recognition
• Complimentary registration to the TAMEST 2025 Annual Conference
• Note: All poster challenge participants selected for the judges’ round must be available to attend the protégé finalist breakfast and give their poster presentation on stage on February 7, 2024.

All poster challenge participants will receive:

• Networking opportunities with National Academy members and distinguished leaders and scientists
• Opportunity to present their research to a wide audience of the Texas research and business community
• Special networking breakfast on Tuesday, February 6 for protégés and TAMEST members to learn more about career advancement and nomination to the National Academies from elected members
• Name and photo listed in annual conference printed program

Judging

During the allotted judging time for the 20 selected posters, participants will share a 5-minute overview of their research to the judges. The judges will be scientists and researchers from a variety of disciplines. We encourage you to include at the beginning of your poster presentation a general overview of your research and its potential impact on science and society that is accessible to scientists from various backgrounds.

Each poster displayed will be evaluated by a panel of the TAMEST Executive Committee and Conference Program Committee members. Posters will be judged on the following criteria:

• Statement of challenge or problem addressed by research (accessible to scientists from various backgrounds)
• Potential to have significant impact on scientific understanding and society
• Summary of key elements and findings of research
• Effectiveness and engagement of presentation

Audience Choice Award

An additional category of recognition is the “Audience Choice Award.” Conference attendees will visit the posters and cast an individual vote for their favorite presentation. The recipient of the Audience Choice Award will be announced and recognized on stage Wednesday afternoon. All 40 posters will be considered for this award.

Timeline

Poster Size

Displays can be prepared as a single poster or multiple posters but must fit within the size of the board provided, including space for the assigned board number to be visible. Your assigned board number will be provided at conference check-in. The working surface of the display board is 6’W x 4’H. The total height of the display board is 6’9”. Additional support elements (tables, additional easels, etc.) are not allowed.

Instructions for Participants

The challenge is open to all protégés who have been nominated by a TAMEST member and approved by TAMEST. Protégés wishing to participate in the poster challenge must sign up by December 13, 2023, and provide the information outlined below in the protégé registration form:

• Name, title, institutional affiliation, email address and office and cell phone numbers of participant
• Title of the poster and an abstract with a description of the research (250-word limit) for each participant

Learn more about the TAMEST Protégé Program.