Why should you participate?

All SPH students involved in a research project!  If you are a distance learning student please contact sphevent@umn.edu on how to participate.

Research Day will:

• help you learn how to design, implement, and present the results of a research study or project
• provide an opportunity for you to convey your ideas and gain valuable feedback on your work
• hone your skills in writing an abstract and strengthen your presentation skills for local or national meetings
• give you a chance to practice communicating your work to a diverse group of people across the university, within the public health community, and the general public

What do you need to do to participate?

1. Develop your project. If you have questions about how to begin, talk with your faculty advisor. Your research, integrative learning project, or applied practice experience does not have to be complete in order to participate – use Research Day as a tool to gain valuable feedback.
2. Meet with your faculty advisor. Your advisor should review and approve your abstract and poster prior to submission.
3. Review abstract judging criteria. When drafting your abstract, review the judging criteria to meet expectations, see the “Judging Criteria” tab for details. Any SPH student who submits an abstract will be accepted to present at Research Day
4. Create your poster. Your research, integrative learning project, or applied practice experience project must be displayed in a digital format. See the “Creating Your Poster” tab for details about preparing a digital poster.
5. Present at Research Day. Any SPH student who submits an abstract and poster will have their project on display at SPH Research Day.

The abstract and poster for your research, integrative learning, or applied practice experience project will be displayed at our Research Day event on April 3, 2024.

Preparing Your Abstract

• Receive approval from your faculty advisor to participate.
• Prepare an abstract of no more than 250 words.
• Prepare an Educational Objective for your abstract of no more than 50 words.
• Provide at least one measurable and concrete objective, and start each sentence with one of these objective verbs: Define, List, Describe, Discuss, Explain, Identify, Demonstrate, Differentiate, Compare, Design, Formulate, Evaluate, Assess, Name and Analyze.
• Provide two keywords for your abstract.

Preparing Your Poster

• Create your poster using this template. Check out tips for creating your poster below.
• Any images on the poster should be at least 200 dpi.
• Give yourself time to create your poster. Remember that your work does not have to be complete; use SPH Research Day as an opportunity to gain suggestions from peers, public health professionals, and the general public.

Tips & Templates

• Download the SPH Research Poster Template (48” x 36”) to create your poster
• How to Create a Research Poster by Polytechnic Institute of NYU
• Review posters created by previous Research Day participants (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018)

Please note: Only one submission per student is permitted.

Even the best public speakers prepare before giving an important presentation. To assist with your presentation, the SPH Career and Professional Development Center is available for one-on-one prep and practice sessions to help you develop the best presentation possible.

Prep and practice session dates announced in early 2024.

Faculty, staff, students and members of the general public will be viewing posters at Research Day on April 3, 2024 from 1-4pm at McNamara Alumni Center. Be there and ready to present your findings!

The University of Minnesota’s Digital Conservancy (UDC) provides a permanent and searchable home for your research paper or poster. Hosted by the University of Minnesota libraries, this option for presentation is available year-round. Before submitting your work please note:

• When sharing research co-authored with or advised on by faculty members, UDC recommends that students check with that faculty member before depositing their poster to the Conservancy. This will help prevent any accidental sharing of research that the co-authors had not intended to be made broadly available yet.
• When adding content to the Conservancy, students should be aware of the UDC Withdrawal Policy. Namely, we do not remove posters after they have been added, and students should share their work with the understanding that it will become permanently, publicly available. UDC does not update files with newer versions of the poster, either.
• Students can find the UDC deposit agreement here namely, students keep the copyright in their work when depositing to the Conservancy.

Learn more about the University Digital Conservancy and how to submit your scholarly work.