BMES 2000
October 12-14, 2000 * Seattle, Washington USA

Poster Preparation

Poster boards will be oriented horizontally and measure 6 feet wide by 4 feet high. The poster session schedule is as follows:

Poster Session A: Thursday, October 12, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Set-up time: beginning at 7:30 a.m. Thursday; remove by 10 p.m. Thursday

Poster Session B: Friday, October 13, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Set-up time: beginning at 7:30 a.m. Friday; remove by 5 p.m. Friday

Annual meetings give us the chance to share ideas on an informal basis (i.e., apart from published materials) and to make contact with new colleagues who might share our research interests, often leading in fruitful new directions. Poster sessions allow authors to present papers and meet with interested colleagues for in-depth technical discussions. It is important that you display your message clearly and strikingly so as to attract people who might have an interest in your paper. During the course of the conference, hundreds of papers and posters will be presented, and thus you must work hard to make your material stand out in the crowd. We hope that these guidelines will improve your ability to achieve that important goal.

Poster Preparation Suggestions

• For your poster, a board will be provided which measures 6 feet wide by 4 feet tall. The board is elevated on a stand so that the bottom of the board is approximately 2 feet off the ground.
• Time will be allowed for each presentation to be mounted on a poster board before the start of each poster session. It is advisable to bring push pins or velcro, although a limited supply will be available.
• The title of your poster should appear at the top in large letters. Poster titles using a font size of 60 point will stand out and be easy to read. The minimum font size for poster titles should be 36 point. Below the title you may wish to put the author(s)' name(s) and affiliation(s).
• People will not read a lot of text, and certainly won't read standard journal-sized text. Try to use an easy-to-read font and keep the font size of important points to 24 - 40 point if possible. The smallest text on your poster should be at least 18 point.
• Studies show that text written in all capital letters is hard to follow; it is better to use bold print than all caps, though you are then limited on making those bold-type statements that will stand out from the rest of your text.
• Carefully and completely prepare your poster in advance of the conference. Try tacking up the poster before you leave for the meeting to see what it will look like and to make sure that you have all of the necessary pieces.
• The flow of your poster should be from the top left to the bottom right.
• You may wish to use color for highlighting and to make your poster more attractive.
• Use pictures, diagrams, cartoons, figures, etc., rather than text wherever possible. Use of color in your graphics will enhance your poster. Your art, graphics, or communications/media department may be very helpful in the preparation of your poster.
• Try to state your main result in large lettering. This way people can read the poster from a distance.
• Many poster presentations are pre-mounted on poster or art board; white paper on black or colored stock will allow your poster to stand out and present a more finished look.
• Your poster should cover the key points of your work. It need not attempt to include all the details; you can describe them to people who are interested. The ideal poster is designed to attract attention, provide a brief overview of your work, and initiate discussion.
• Make your poster as self-explanatory as possible. This will save your efforts for technical discussions.
• You may wish to prepare a short presentation of about 5 or 10 minutes that you can periodically give to those assembled around your poster. You may give this talk several times during your poster session.
• Timely collection of materials at the end of the session is your responsibility.

Poster Sessions A and B