The Charlton poster competition provides students with the opportunity to exchange ideas with scientists and physicians on the Tufts Health Sciences Campus, and to hone their presentation skills. Students with similar levels of training are evaluated with their peers. Participants are typically divided into three groups: Sackler Senior Division (students in the 5th year or beyond); Sackler Junior Division (students in the 4th year or earlier); and Medical/Veterinary/Dental and MD/PhD students in years 1 or 2 of training. If there are a small number of participants in a particular category, the selection committee may combine categories.
2013-2014 Charlton Lectureship
This year's lecture will be on October 24, 2013, and delivered by Thomas Südhof, MD, Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine.
The poster competition will take place on October 23 and 24.
Award Amount
First place ($500), second place ($250), third place ($100)
Eligibility
Sackler, Medical, MD/PhD, Dental, and Veterinary students are eligible to participate in the poster competition. The research presented must be the work of the student and completed during the student's enrollment at Tufts.
Application Process
Students initiate the process by submitting an abstract to the poster competition. Participants submit their abstracts to the Sackler Dean's Office by the published deadline. Students prepare a poster describing the background and scientific findings related to their research.
2013 Deadline for Abstract Submission
12 pm, Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Poster Judging
Students are assigned a 15-minute poster presentation time slot. The student should plan to spend half of this time presenting the poster; the remaining time is for for questions from a panel of faculty from the participating schools who serve as judges. Finalists are selected to present their posters again the next day to the judging committee, which includes the Charlton lecturer. Award winners are announced at the Charlton Lecture. 40”x60” posterboards and pushpins are provided to student participants at the time of poster setup.
Selection Criteria
- Research Design and data analysis (20 points): Is the experimental design or clinical study design adequate to address the formulated hypothesis? Have appropriate controls been performed? Have statistical analyses been performed appropriately and do they address possible confounding factors?
- Degree of Involvement in the project (20 points): Was the student involved in the process from start to finish, i.e. conceiving, performing, and analyzing results of the presented experiments or clinical study? Have most of the presented results been obtained as a result of the student’s research?
- Significance of the work (15 points): Is the student aware of and able to convey the significance of their work in the larger framework of the field in which they are working?
- Poster Presentation (10 points): Is the student able to present the background, results, and conclusions of the poster in a way that is logical, that is understandable to scientists with minimal background in the area, and that conveys enthusiasm for the work?
- Poster Design (10 points): Is the poster arranged in a logical format that is easy to follow? Is the data presented in an understandable, clear format?