poster competition

[Brian_D Lanoil]

> Anyway, I'd like to bring up an issue for discussion.  I have noticed at 
> the graduate student level that many of the competitions, e.g. student 
> poster competitions, are often won by work which is sketchy or 
> incomplete.  I have also noticed that women are often the main 
> researchers on the project.  I am NOT saying that all women have sketchy 
> research.  
> 
(snip)

>I think one of the reasons the work is "sketchy" is that these
>competitions are for students, after all, and presumably in various stages
>of their training.  Posters also are usually "work in progress",
>especially those at small local meetings.  From my point of view, I
>started my current position a little over a year ago, and had my first
>"official" student trainee this summer- a medical student doing a summer
>research fellowship.  I have encouraged her to present a poster on her
>preliminary findings at two local poster sessions next month for two
>reasons:  to give her the experience, and recognition for her work, but
>also as a way of announcing myself to the research community here.  It is
>my chance to say "I'm here and working!" even though I haven't got enough
>to publish yet. 


I don't have a problem with posters that are short on data but strong on 
hypotheses.  My problem is with posters which have neither data or a 
strong sense of the direction the project will go winning these 
competitions, especially when there are posters present which have data 
and future research directions.  I think that for the _competition_, the 
focus should be on how solid the work is, but for _presentation_, you 
should be allowed to show work in progress.  

My $0.02.

Brian


>Deb

>-- 
>Deborah Britt, Ph.D.
>Department of Medical Oncology
>Rhode Island Hospital