LSU Discover Day

This presentation format is for students who wish to present a poster which summarizes their research. Our poster stands are 4 feet by 4 feet in size and your poster cannot be any larger than the poster stand. The standard conference poster measures 3 feet x 4 feet and can be built in PowerPoint or similar programs.

For students who plan to present a poster larger than our poster stands, please select the Visual Display presentation format described below so that we can accommodate your poster. 

Poster presenters must be in attendance for the duration of their assigned 2-hour poster session.  Poster presenters should be prepared to give a short explanation of their poster to judges and visitors.  

All posters should include the presenter(s)’ and co-authors’ names and email addresses. All funding sources should be acknowledged in an “Acknowledgments” section on the poster as well.

Group presentations: Due to the set-up of the poster sessions, no more than 2 students from a group presentation may stand in front of their poster at a time.  If your group has 3 or more presenters, you will need to rotate presenters.

Free poster printing: Discover Day presenters (poster and visual display) can request to have their poster printed for free by emailing a PDF copy of your poster to lsudiscover@lsu.edu before Thursday, April 17.  Posters must be no larger than 36" by 48" and in a .pdf format to be acceptable for free printing.  

LSU A & M students who miss the free poster printing deadline are encouraged to have their posters printed at the Main Library's Print Desk on the first floor which offers the most affordable poster printing.

Click here for tips on how to create and present posters.

Click here to watch the video “Building Your Research Poster: Design and Construction”

Click here to watch the video “ Building Your Research Poster: Delivery”

Students who wish to deliver an oral presentation, with or without visual aids, should choose this format. Oral presenters will each be given 15 minutes for their presentation. Presentations should be 5-10 minutes in length leaving at least 5 minutes for questions from the judges and audience members. As a courtesy to the other presenters, oral presenters must remain in their assigned presentation room for the hour in which they are scheduled to present.

Oral presenters will be grouped into a schedule based on presentation topics and disciplines.  A moderator will be present to call students when it is their turn to present and to take questions from the audience.

Oral presenters who wish to present a slideshow must upload a copy of your slides in PowerPoint format before April 23 @ 5:00 PM to the following folder: 

Submit your PowerPoint slides

Students will NOT be allowed to open files from cloud or thumb drives during the event as this slows down the schedule and technical issues typically arise eating away at the presenter's allotted time.

When you arrive at your assigned room, your presentation will already be loaded onto the presentation computer by our staff.

This presentation category is for students who wish to present non-art objects for display.  Examples of such items include, but are not limited to: models, specimens, laptop/screen displays, prototypes, and oversized posters (larger than 4 feet x 4 feet).

Visual Display presenters may also present a poster alongside their object(s) but this is not required.

Visual Display presenters must be in attendance for the duration of their assigned 2-hour session. Visual Display presenters should be prepared to give short (3-5 minute) presentations to judges and visitors who stop by their displays. 

Visual arts presentations (Art Show): Students may apply to present a piece, or pieces, of visual art such as paintings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, etc.  Students must upload images of their pieces into their application for review for acceptance. Presenters in this category must be in attendance for the duration of the 2-hour Art Show. Presenters should be prepared to speak briefly (3-5 minutes) about their piece(s) and answer any questions from judges and visitors. Set up and take down instructions will be emailed to Art Show presenters after acceptance to Discover Day.

Performing arts presentations: This format is for students who wish to present a musical, theatrical, or dance performance.  Students may present an original or authored piece. Performers will have a maximum of 10 minutes for the performance with 5 minutes allotted for questions from the audience. As a courtesy to the other performers, student must be present for the hour in which they are scheduled to perform.

Poetry readings: This category is for students who wish to recite an original piece of poetry.  The presenter will have a maximum of 10 minutes for the recitation with 5 minutes allotted for questions from the audience.  As a courtesy to the other presenters, students must be present for the hour in which they are scheduled to perform.

Film presentations: This category is for students who wish to show an original short film of up to 10 minutes in length and allowing for 5 minutes of questions from the audience.  It is recommended that students upload their film to YouTube for presentation during the event as the presentation equipment will have limited software for video play. As a courtesy to the other performers, student presenters must be present for the hour in which their film is scheduled to play.

Students who have been invited by a faculty member to take part in a Discover Day panel should select this presentation format.  Presentation instructions will be provided by the faculty member.