4th ACC Meeting of the Minds 2009
NC State University
Frequently Asked Questions
About Your Presentation and the Conference:
- How do I register to give my presentation?
- Are there special instructions for Oral Presentations?
- How will the Poster Sessions be handled?
- What can students do on Thursday evening upon arrival in Raleigh?
- Will students get to see the program on-line before coming to Raleigh?
- Is there a special session for students only during the conference?
- What kinds of food will be served during the conference?
- What should I wear for my presentation and during the conference?
- Is anyone going to be taking photographs?
- Will there be airport transportation provided?
- Does the hotel have wireless access for my laptop computer?
How do I register to give my presentation?
Your university undergraduate research coordinator for the ACC selects the student participants and registers you and your abstract. Then, you must go to the home page for the event and click on the “Registration” link. From here you must fill out a very simple form that we will use to create your name tag, learn about your dinner choice for Friday night, and also obtain demographic information that we must have when we file a complete report to the ACCIAC coordinator, Dr. David Brown.
Are there special instructions for Oral Presentations?
Those giving oral presentations should prepare a power point presentation that has as little wording as possible; figures and charts should be easily seen in a lecture setting that holds 75-100 people. Use your slides to remind you of what to say so that you don’t just read slides to people. Remember that you are the expert on your topic and others will not know your acronyms and other abbreviations. Define your study, i.e., explain in clear English why you did the work, how you did it, what you found and how the data lends itself to the knowledge pool. You will have 15 minutes to present your work; a moderator will warn you when only 2 minutes is left. If you exceed 15 minutes then the moderator will reduce time from the 5 minutes reserved for questions from the audience. Friday morning presenters should arrive at their session room between 8:00-8:15 am to load their power point presentation from their flash drive; you must then proceed to the Jefferson-Washington Room for the Welcome Session. Saturday morning presenters should load their presentations between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. and then proceed to the Jefferson-Washington Room for Dr. David Brown’s message. All oral presenters: Arrive at the beginning of your morning or afternoon session and stay for the entire session, not just your own presentation time. Know that there will be 30-minute session breaks after each hour of presentations to give students time to interact and discuss each other’s work in more detail. You will have a wireless microphone that you can hold or string around your neck; a podium will be available. You should come to the presentation room 15 minutes before your full session begins; the moderator will load your talk from the flash drive or CD that you and other speakers bring to the session.
How will the Poster Sessions be handled?
Unique this year will be one hour and 45 minutes dedicated to both a standing heavy finger-food lunch and about 24 poster presentations. The even numbered posters will begin this session while others eat and move around to chat with presenters. Then the odd numbered posters begin at 1:00 p.m. so that the even presenters get their chance to eat and see the remaining posters. Traffic at your poster will be keen because all in attendance will be focused on only 12 or so poster presenters at one time. The typical observer spends about 5 minutes at a poster or less, so be prepared to quickly describe the work using the poster as your guide. Do not pack the poster with lots of wording as few will have time to read it all. Build on short points, have good size to your fonts and figures, and be sure to speak clearly and loud enough to be heard in a room with 100 people talking. Your poster must be 3ft x 4ft to fit on the easel boards; we will provide push pins. Even numbered poster presenters should set up at 11:50; odd numbered posters can be set up at a few minutes before 1:00 p.m. (we will instruct you when to switch).
What can students do on Thursday evening upon arrival in Raleigh?
The NCSU students will direct groups of students to various eateries very near the hotel; we will also provide you with a map showing hot spots along Hillsborough Street, Oberlin Road, and in Cameron Village Mall. Get plenty of sleep that night because Friday will be packed with presentations and an evening dinner.
Will students get to see the program on-line before coming to Raleigh?
Yes, we will update the site with a link to the program and the abstract book, see: www.ncsu.edu/accmm/ . You will be able to see when your presentation will be, the session number, and the room assigned.
Is there a special session for students only during the conference?
Yes, you will all go to the large Roosevelt-Lincoln Room at 3:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon to learn about positioning yourselves for national fellowships and admission to graduate schools. We have two excellent faculty administrators who will present information and answer your many questions.
What kinds of food will be served during the conference?
You will not go hungry. You have a full breakfast at the ground level restaurant across from the hotel desk. Friday’s lunch at the poster session has multiple heavy finger foods too numerous to mention and dinner on Friday night at the NC Museum of Art will be first class dining. Also, we have munchies and beverages all day during the event just outside the session rooms. Saturday breakfast will be as on Friday and lunch will be a fast pace sandwich lunch with vegetarian or turkey sandwiches. You’ll gain weight!!
Students who are staying at another hotel (not the Brownstone) can also have breakfast at the Brownstone which begins at 6:00 a.m.!
Will I have a name tag with university affiliation?
Yes, because the registration link for students will provide that information for us: http://www.ncsu.edu/accmm/registration.html This link will also tell us what your dinner preference is for the NC Museum of Art dinner. You must wear your name tag at all sessions and meals (hotel and museum).
What should I wear for my presentation and during the conference?
This is time to make an impression. Do not wear jeans. Men should wear slacks, a colored/white shirt and a sport jacket with shoes (not torn up sneaks) at their presentation session and at the Friday night dinner. Otherwise, you can wear a light sweater in place of the jacket. Ladies should consider business attire (slacks or skirt and blouse with a jacket, or a dress) and, as with the men, can change out of the jacket during other times outside of their presentation session and the Friday dinner.
Is anyone going to be taking photographs?
Yes, we will have professional photographers present on Friday, but our staff will also be taking photographs that will be in jpg format and sent to all of your campus coordinators after the event.
Will there be airport transportation provided?
Yes, we will have vans that will coordinate with the campus directors. The drivers and directors will share cell phone numbers as a way to coordinate pick up. Those arriving at late hours or who are leaving on Saturday in the late afternoon or evening will have to arrange for taxi transportation. The taxi cost will likely be about $40.
Does the hotel have wireless access for my laptop computer?
Yes, the entire hotel is supported by wireless technology so your laptop will work anywhere you go within the building.
