Support for Quest Presenters

Step 1. Discuss your Quest contribution with your advisor/mentor.

Step 2. Find out who is your departmental Quest rep (see the list below) and contact that person to learn more about the submission process and the type of events that your department sponsors this year.

Step 3. Run all of your submission materials by your mentor and submit your information on time (see schedule below).

Step 4. Submit your poster for free printing on time (see directions below).

NOTE: Please consider these basic principles for accessibility when creating your work.

• The event will be hybrid: events might be online or in-person; Zoom links might be available for additional attendance; the Zoom session will be provided to you by your departmental representative;  the types of events available will be department-specific; the deposit of your poster or recorded oral presentation into university SUNY Digital Library is available as an opt-in; the length of each session will be 45-50-minutes long, with 10-15-minute breaks in-between; typical presentations are 10-15 minute long.
• Submissions to departmental reps will open on March 13 and close on April 3 via Google forms.
• The schedule will be published on Wednesday, April 16.
• Posters may be submitted for printing (at no cost) no later than April 11 BY NOON; you can print your poster at your own expense after this date (see directions below the rep list).

• Submission Type (e.g., a poster, a talk, or some other activity)
• Presenter(s)/Author Name(s) (full formal Last name, First name)
• Mentor/Sponsor Name (full formal Last name, First name)
• Title (check with the mentor; use title capitalization)
• Abstract (under 50 words; please ask the mentor to edit it)
• Description/Accommodations/Needs/Special Requests
• Quest materials will be deposited into the SUNY-Oswego archives. You will be asked if you give permission for your materials (e.g., PowerPoints, papers, audio recordings) to be archived in a public depository. 

Departmental Quest Representatives:

NOTE: Please consider these basic principles for accessibility when creating your work.

1) Work with your mentor, carefully edit the content of your poster, and ask your mentor to proof it. 36-inch high, 48-inch wide posters are recommended; smaller posters are allowed. Light-color backgrounds only, please. Most posters are created using PowerPoint. Double-check the size of your poster on the design tab before converting it into a pdf. If it is 11- by 8-inches instead of 4- by 3-feet in size, it will be printed as such.

2) To submit your finalized pdf, use this link until the April 11 NOON deadline. IF IT IS TOO LATE NOW- SEE THE INFO BELOW. You will be asked whether you agree to deposit your pdf into the Quest archive. You will find your poster by your board for the poster session you select. Come a few minutes before the session to pin it; pins will be provided.

3) To print after the deadline, at your own expense, feel free to reach out to Port City Copy Center at (315) 216-6163. Their website is https://www.portcitycopycenter.com and their email is [email protected]. You may also contact Speedway Press which is also located in Oswego. Speedway's email is [email protected] (https://www.speedwaypress.com) and their phone number is (315) 342-1363. Many online retailers are also available. If you print it on your own, you need to bring it to the poster session. However, you need to submit information about your poster to Quest organizers- otherwise, it will be not part of the program.

• Make sure you know the time and location of your presentation. If possible, explore this room a day or a few days early.
• Please plan on attending as many student presentations as you can to support your classmates. At a minimum, you are to stay for the entire assigned session, including Q&A. Please have your presentation loaded on the desktop before your session begins. If you know of your plans after graduation (grad school or job placement), let the professor who introduces you at Quest (session chair) know, and they can make this exciting announcement during your introduction. If you do not have something set yet, a goal is perfectly fine to announce too. Example "She/he plans to land a Quality Control Analytical Position in the Pharmaceutical Industry".
• Arrange a picture with your advisor/research group for everyone to show up for this.
• Wondering what to wear for Quest? We recommend business professional or business casual attire for your Quest presentations. Business Professional is the most conservative type of business wear. It is what you will be expected to wear for a job interview. For women, this means a business suit (pants or skirt). For men, professional dress means a business suit or a blazer, dress pants, and a tie. Business Casual is a more relaxed version of Professional. For women, a shirt with a collar and/or a sweater, khakis or dress pants, and nice shoes. Women can also wear a moderate-length dress or skirt. For men, business casual is a polo shirt or shirt with a collar and/or sweater, khakis or dress pants, and dress shoes.  Pretty much- just look nice, no campus casual.
• Remember to make eye contact with your audience, do not look at the screen/monitor/your poster the entire time.
• Use your slides as a reminder of what needs to be said. "Reading slides" is quite boring for the audience- as you well know from your own experience. Tell a story instead.
• It is nice to have an acknowledgment slide at the end, thanking your mentor, any other faculty/staff members who helped you, other students involved in data collection (past and present), and funding (the dept and include any grants you may have received)
• Practice, Practice, Practice.  For those giving an oral 15-minute presentation, make sure your talk is between 12 and 13 minutes.  This will leave a few minutes for questions at the end.  We need to stick to the schedule. The faculty member chairing your session will cut you off if you go over the time allowed, so please prepare in advance. For a poster presentation, the typical talk is 5 minutes long.
• It is perfectly acceptable to invite your friends and family members to see your presentation.  We enjoy meeting them all.
• If you have any questions/concerns about Quest, please see your mentor or Quest organizers.
• Remember to take a deep breath and enjoy yourself. This is your time to shine after months and months of hard work. 

On the event's main website, look up your poster's number (in the list of poster abstracts).
Find out the event's time and location. 
A day/two early find the room; if it is possible, explore the room's layout.
Come a few minutes early and find your poster board (they are numbered). If your poster is not pinned to the board, attach it. Get the pushpins from the organizers if you forgot to bring your own.
Find time to explore other posters and talk to your "poster neighbors."
Also, read suggestions @ "How to dress and present?"

For non-poster presentations, the Quest Session Chair will have the role of welcoming attendees to that session, introducing the presenters, moderating Q&A, and making sure the session runs on time. Please make sure that there is a required 10- to 15-minute window between the sessions.

1. The Zoom links allow for all guests (the login authentication is disabled for all sessions).
2. The Chat function enabled.
3. Guests are muted upon entry
4. Presenters can share screens
5. Waiting rooms are disabled
6. Sessions will auto-record and send file to cloud IF that is requested.
7. There are no time limits

Quest departmental representatives, the SCAC Quest subcommittee, and the Provost Office make this event possible. Quest is coordinated by the Student Office of Research and Creative Activities (ORCA) Director, who can be reached at [email protected].