Discovery in Action Poster Forum Competition

Open to all students enrolled in an Arts and Sciences Bachelors, Masters or PhD program at the time of the showcase who have completed a research project, capstone, or similar work that ties into the theme of "Discovery in Action."

• Group projects are eligible. All team members must be listed on the application. 
• Each student may only submit one project/be on one project team submission.  
• In order for the research project, capstone, or similar work to be eligible you must have worked on it while enrolled in an Arts and Sciences Bachelors, Masters or PhD program and in some way be related to your program. 

• Submission Deadline: January 11th at 11pm
• Submission Form: DIA Showcase Student Poster Forum Competition Application - 2026

• Abstract (200 words max): 
  • For Natural and Social Sciences students: Clearly state the research question/ project purpose, methodology/process, and outcomes.
  • For Humanities students: Clearly describe the project, methods or techniques, and overall aims.
• Poster Title 
• Contact Information for Presenter(s)
• Advisor/Mentor Contact Information for Approval  
  • We will be reaching out to your advisor/mentor to confirm your involvement with the project and in the case of research that they are ok with it being presented at this phase.  

• Relevance to the theme "Discovery in Action" 
• Innovation and originality of the research/project
• Clarity of description, objectives, methods and/or techniques 
• Potential impact and contribution to the field
• Up to 3 undergraduate and 3 graduate student submissions will be selected per division to present at the Discovery in Action Showcase. 

Awards Include

• Undergraduate Winner - $1,000

• Graduate Winner - $1,000

• People’s Choice Award - $500

• Bearcat Buzz Award - $250

Note: Each project can only win one category (excluding the Bearcat Buzz Award), and winners will be awarded via Catalyst. Please remember that prizes may impact existing financial aid awards, and the college will provide guidance on any potential effects.

• Ensure the abstract clearly aligns with the theme "Discovery in Action."
• Avoid jargon; abstracts should be understandable to a broad audience. 

• For Humanities students: 
  • Introduction: Overview of topic or theme, purpose, and key objectives.
  • Methods or Techniques: Should include description of analytical approach or creative genre, texts (including literature, film, art objects, public discourse, etc.) referenced, and any technical or stylistic details 
  • Results: Highlight key findings and innovative techniques
  • Conclusion: Overview of main findings/end results, highlight their significance, address implications and suggest future work done in the area. 
• For Social and Natural Sciences students:
  • Introduction: Overview of topic or theme, purpose, and key objectives. 
  • Methods: Should include approach, materials used, procedures/process followed, data collection techniques, and if there is analysis how it was conducted in the work. 
  • Results: Highlight key findings and significant outcomes using visuals such as graphs, graphics and charts for clarity. 
  • Conclusion: Overview of main findings/end results, highlight their significance, address implications and suggest future work done in the area.

• Be prepared to discuss the work in depth but also explain it succinctly to those unfamiliar with the subject. 
• Practice explaining the poster to both specialists and non-specialists. 

• Use high-resolution images and clear, readable fonts. 
• Avoid clutter; keep text concise and focused on key points.

In short, Discovery in Action is about taking what we learn (wether that be in the classroom, research, in the field etc) and moving it forward or having an impact. 

Unfortuntelly as winners will be awarded via catalyst finalists need to be current students at the time of the Discovery in Action Showcase. 

Winners will be awarded via Catalyst. Please remember that prizes may impact existing financial aid awards, and the college will provide guidance on any potential effects.

For the purpose of fairness in terms of judging, groups that are made up of both undergraduate and graduate students will be judged in the graduate student category. 

Professors can be advisors or mentors but cannot be members of the group. We want to showcase student voices for this competition. Nonstudent professionals can be part of the original project but cannot be involved in the contest.  

For the poster presentation portion of the competition, we require the inclusion of Results and Conclusion, as can be in the Rules & Guidelines for Presentation section in the Poster Specification of the page. We understand that some research/projects etc. can take a very long time to be truly completed, thus as long as you feel you have completed enough of the project/research etc to be able to able to speak to results and conclusions the project does not need to be complete.

Please email Beth Vleaminck (vleamieh@ucmail.uc.edu) with names and emails of additional members of the group so that we can add the names manually. 

The purpose of the contest is to highlight the work of Arts and Sciences Bachelors, Masters, and PhD students. Thus you must have worked on the project while enrolled in an Arts and Sciences Bachelors, Masters, or PhD program.