The 20th Annual IDF will be held Saturday, April 27, 2013.
What is the Graduate Interdisciplinary Forum?
The Graduate Interdisciplinary Forum (IDF) is a venue allowing graduate students to share the research and creative work they have completed in their graduate programs with students and faculty from across campus and from area colleges and universities. The IDF includes oral, poster, and performance presentations.
Family, friends, the public, faculty members, and graduate students who are not presenting research are all encouraged to attend the IDF.
What are the objectives of the IDF?
The four underlying objectives of the IDF are to:
- promote an understanding of research work done by graduate students across disciplines spread over the six academic Colleges CNAS, CHHS, COE, CHPA, COAL, COB and the School of Agriculture (The word “research” in this context includes conventional research, scholarly projects, creative activities, and juried performances.),
- provide an opportunity to the presenters to sharpen their presentation skills based upon feedback from people outside their discipline,
- facilitate discussion of graduate scholarly works across campus/community, and
- increase public awareness of scholarship activities on the Missouri State University campus.
Where and when is the IDF?
The IDF will be held in the Plaster Student Union on a Saturday in April. For 2013, the date is April 27.
What is the format of the IDF?
Graduate students will present their research work in an oral, poster, or performance presentation. Each of these separate categories will have their own judging criteria and will be judged separately for the final awards ceremony.
There will be three presentation categories in the oral and poster divisions. Category A will have presentations that are derived from thesis projects, Category B will have presentations that are derived from non-thesis projects (seminar papers, etc.), and Category C will be for team or group projects and those with multiple student authors. If a project has multiple student authors, it should be in category C. There are no separate categories within the performance presentations.
For the oral presentation division, each student will be given twelve minutes to present with three minutes after for audience questions. For the performance division, each student will be given fifteen minutes to perform their selection. If a selection in the performance division is static (i.e. art), the student may elect to present it as a poster presentation. For poster presentations, students will be assigned one hour to stand with the poster and discuss their project.
What type of presentation will I be doing at the IDF?
You will choose what type of presentation you will give, whether it is oral, poster, or performance. In addition, you will indicate whether your presentation is a thesis or non-thesis project. Non-thesis projects include, but are not limited to, seminar papers, term papers, or class projects.
What is the award system for the IDF?
Judges will be allowed to give one honorary award for every five participants in any category; any remainder will be rounded up. For example, if there are thirteen oral presentations in Category B, up to three honorary awards may be given. There will not be any distinction between awards (i.e. no first, second, or third place).
Recognition certificates/plaques for faculty advisors of awarded students.
Will there be refreshments?
Hors d'oeuvres will be available at 11:30 am – 12:30 pm.
Refreshments will be available during the entire IDF event.
How will I benefit from participating?
The IDF allows you to practice your presentation skills and receive feedback on your research from people outside your discipline. Additionally, the IDF gives you a chance to see the projects of other graduate students from across campus. Participation in the IDF provides you with a valuable presentation experience and can be included on your resume. Many graduate programs require or encourage a formal presentation of research, and the IDF can serve this purpose as well.
How can I get involved?
- Start thinking about what type of presentation you would like to do. You may choose a poster display, an oral presentation, or a performance presentation. Participants for each category are limited and abstracts must be submitted by noon on Monday, April 1, 2013.
- Talk to your advisor and begin working on your abstract which summarizes your research or creative work.
- Attend the graduate student workshops, 'How to Write an Abstract' and 'Presentation Pointers: Oral and Poster Presentation Success'.
- If you do not want to submit an abstract, volunteer to help prepare for and conduct the IDF.