FAQs

Important Announcement

NSF funding for this project ended October 1, 2015. As of August 31, 2023 the site was archived. All videos, posters, and discussions remain available.

FAQs for Presenters

  1. Now that I have uploaded my video and poster, what should I do during the competition?

    • Invite members of your IGERT (other trainees, faculty, program coordinators, alumni and partners) to login and visit your video/poster and those of the other presenters.
    • Check online frequently on each day of the competition. Be sure to visit other videos/posters and leave comments. Place your 4 community choice votes for the videos/posters that you find most meritorious.
    • During the first day of the competition, judges will be leaving you queries. Make sure you answer them by the end of the day Wednesday, May 22nd! The judges will consider your answers in their scores.
    • Monitor you video/poster for comments from the community. You may provide replies to these comments.
    • “Like” your video/poster on Facebook to share with your friends. The presentation that receives the most “likes” will be the “Public Choice” winner.

  2. How/When do I interact with the judges?

    Judges will post queries to you by midnight EDT on May 21st. You need to answer each of their queries by midnight on Wednesday, May 22nd! Your answers will be considered in the scoring by the judges that will be completed on Thursday, May 23rd.

  3. Can everyone who visits my video/poster see the judges’ queries?

    During the competition, only you and the judges can see these queries and replies. The rest of the IGERT community sees and can post to the general discussion area. After the competition is over, however, the judges' queries and replies will be made visible to visitors of the site.

  4. How can I interact with other presenters?

    Visit their presentations and leave comments. Vote for the 4 videos/posters (one can be your own) in the “Community Choice” competition. Remember, 4 of the 25 winners will be chosen by the IGERT Community Choice.

  5. How can I interact with other trainees, faculty members, alumni and program coordinators?

    All IGERT community members are urged to visit the videos/posters and leave comments. Please play an active role and reply to these posts.

  6. What will the public see?

    The public will see the posters and videos and they will be able to post to your discussion.

    During the competition days, only the judges assigned to your judging group will be able to see the judges' queries and your replies. However, after the competition is over, the site will be archived and judges' queries and presenter replies will be visible to all visitors of the site. IGERT.org will remove selected exchanges at the request of the presenter.

  7. How do I know which presentations are in my judging group?

    Click on Videos & Posters in the top navigation. This will bring you to a page where you can view all of the presentations. In the left navigation, select the “By Judging Group” filter. Your judging group’s name will be displayed along with all of the presentations in your group.

  8. Who are the judges?

    IGERT faculty were invited to judge in this competition. Those faculty who volunteered were matched to judging groups based on common keywords and themes that were chosen by presenters. It is important to note, however, that the IGERT projects encompass a wide array of fields and research themes and that careful consideration for conflicts of interest between judges and presenters also had to be accounted for. Hence, there is not an exact match between judges’ fields of expertise and that of the presenters. Click on Judges in the top navigation and you will be able to see all of the judges in this competition. Click the “Judging Group” header to sort the list based on each of the judging groups.

  9. How is my video/poster presentation judged?

    Judges will score each video/poster based on the judging rubric. Judges will select 20 winners (2 from each judging group).

    Four additional winners will be selected by Community Choice votes. Each IGERT.org member is invited to select 4 presentations that they find most meritorious as their Community Choice votes. Judges will not participate in the Community Choice competition. In addition, one Public Choice winner will be determined by the presentation that receives the most “likes” on facebook. This prize is being made to encourage communicating science to a general audience. All IGERT Community Choice and Public Choice votes must be cast by 10 PM EDT on May 23rd.

  10. Will I get to see the judges’ scores?

    No, judges' scores will not be shared with you. However, we will send a compilation of their comments to you after the competition.

  11. How are the Public Choice votes counted?

    Facebook’s Graph API is a data resource which can be used to retrieve current statistics for Facebook activity. Our system connects to this API to take regular snapshots of “like”-ing activity for each presentation in the competition; “like”-ing activity is different from “share”-ing or “comment”-ing activity; only “liking” activity counts towards choosing the Public Choice winner.

    In addition, we do not track the “liking” of posts or comments, only the “like’s” associated with the actual presentation URL. We monitor these snapshots for unusual activity, and treat this data as canonical, taking the final snapshot once voting has ended at 10 PM EDT on May 23rd.

    Another source of confusion is that the counter on the Facebook “like” button does not actually display the number of “like’s”. Instead, it provides the total sharing activity for a given URL, which is not what we are using for our selection criteria. More information can be found by reading the Facebook Like Plugin FAQ .

  12. Who can see and post comments?

    Both logged in IGERT.org members as well as guests visiting the competition can see and post comments to your presentation. Comments to your presentation can be made through Friday, May 31st.

  13. What will happen to my online video and poster after the competition?

    The 2013 Poster and Video Competition website will be archived and available for members and guests to view once the competition is done. Entrants retain all copyright and equivalent rights, but, upon submission of materials, entrants agree to complete and submit NSF Multimedia Permission & Use of Copyrighted Material Form (NSF Form 1515) . In addition, entrants agree to license their video submissions under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

    During the competition days, only the trainee presenter and judges assigned to that poster will be able to see judges’ queries and presenter replies. However, after the competition is over, the site will be archived and judges’ queries and presenter replies will be visible to all visitors of the site. IGERT.org will remove selected exchanges at the request of the presenter.

  14. When will I find out if I am an winner?

    The winners will be announced online here on the competition website on Friday, May 24th. They will also be announced on IGERT.org .

  15. What happens if I am selected as an winner?

    NSF will host the winners for an all-day award ceremony on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 . Please mark your calendars! Up to four participants (Awardees, Trainees, PIs, Co-PIs, Faculty Advisors, etc.) from the winning IGERT Programs will be invited to exhibit their posters and videos in the Atrium of the NSF building and to participate in a series of panel discussions highlighting career options for IGERT graduates and the experiences and successes of IGERT alumni.

    In addition, you will receive a prize that will be sent directly to you. When there are multiple presenters, the team (in consultation with the project PI) will determine how the prize should be split amongst team participants.

  16. Is there a guide or a place I can go to ask questions to help me prepare my video and poster for the competition?

    Yes, we have prepared 2 guides to help presenters - a Presenter Guide and a Moviemaking Guide. These will be sent to all presenters and posted here soon. Please use the links below:

FAQs for Judges

  1. What do I have to do each day?

    The schedule is as follows:

    Tuesday, May 21: Judges log-in (using their IGERT.org password) to watch the videos and read the posters for each of the presenters in their group. By midnight, each judge must post 1-2 queries to each presenter.

    Wednesday, May 22: Judges visit videos/posters to see the presenter replies to their queries.

    Thursday, May 23: Judges must score each video/poster within their group by 10 PM EDT . Judges must score every video/poster within their judging group for their scores to count.

    The winners will be announced online here on the competition website on Friday, May 24th. They will also be announced on IGERT.org .

  2. How do I know which presenters are in my group?

    At the top of your screen in the black bar, you will see a shortcut to “My Presentations.” This link is present at the top of every page on the site when you are logged in.

  3. How do I judge a video/poster presentation?
    • When you view any video/poster within your judging group, you will see a button “Score Presentation.” This will bring you to a scoring rubric. (If you do not see this, be sure to log-in.)
    • The scoring rubric has 10 items and you must score each of them on a scale of 1-5. One of these items asks you to rate the presenters’ replies to judges' queries. You will not be able to judge this until May 22nd, since presenters will be answering queries on May 21st. You will be able to save partially completed rubrics and return to complete them at a later time.
    • Once you have completed all items for an individual video/poster, you will be able to view other judges’ scores relevant to that video/poster (by going to the Control Panel which is located in the very top black bar of every page on the site). You may contact other judges by emailing them individually or as a group (links to email are provided in the Control Panel). You can also arrange for a conference call (free conference line provided in the Control Panel).
    • You will be able to edit your scores until you click “Submit.” Once you have clicked “Submit,” your scores are final and cannot be changed.
  4. When should I score videos/posters?

    You can start on May 21st, but you will need to return to each presentation on May 23rd to judge how well presenters have answered judges' queries. All scores must be submitted by 10 PM EDT on May 23rd.

  5. How do I keep track of my scores and see the scores of other judges?

    At the very top of every page in the black bar, you will see a link to the “Control Panel.” The Control Panel provides a link to a summary of your scores so that you can keep track of the videos/posters that you have partially or fully completed. You will also see a link in the Control Panel to other judges’ scores within your judging group.

  6. Will the presenters see my scores?

    Presenters will not see your scores, but they will be sent the comments that you provide at the bottom of each scoring rubric. Only your comment and not your score will be shared with the presenter. Please make sure that your comment is supportive by providing constructive critique.

  7. Can I partially judge a video/poster and save what I have done?

    Yes. You can save what you have done as you go through the rubric so that you can leave and return, as necessary. To return to scoring rubrics that you have started, click “My Scores” in the top bar of any page.

    Once you have completed judging a video/poster and have entered scores for each item on the scoring rubric, be sure to click “submit” so that they can be tallied with the others. You must score all videos/posters within your group. If you only score some, none of your scores will be counted! This judging must be completed by 10 PM EDT on Thursday, May 23rd .

  8. How do I make sure that I’ve completed all of the judging in my group?

    From the Home page, you can navigate to the My Scores summary page. Here you will see which videos/posters you have completed and which you have yet to do. You must score all presentations within your group . If you only score some, none of your scores will be counted ! The Home page will also help you to keep track of how many queries you have sent, as well as how many unread replies you have received from the presenters.

  9. Do I need to score all of the videos/posters in my group, even if they are not in my field of expertise?

    Yes! In order for your scores to count, you must submit scores for all of the videos/posters in your judging group . If you skip any, none of your scores will be counted , as we need to maintain scoring consistency in the groups. The presenters are aware that the judges will have varied fields of expertise and their presentations should be made toward that of a general audience.

  10. What happens if there is a tie between presenters in our judging group?

    If your group has a tie (e.g., three presenters who all have the same score), the appointed chair will be asked to break the tie. He/She might do so by reviewing comments of the judges on each of the presentations, by emailing the judges in the group, or by arranging a conference call (free conference line provided in the Control Panel). The emails of the judges in your group are available in your Control Panel and you should feel free to email each other as needed. You can also email the entire group by clicking “Email Group.”

  11. Can I communicate with the other judges?

    The emails of the judges in your group are available in your Control Panel and you should feel free to email each other as needed. You can also email the entire group by clicking “Email Group.”

  12. Can my judging group use a conference call to discuss the videos/posters?

    We leave this up to the judges in each group. If you would like to arrange a conference call, you can email your group to find a time (free conference line provided in the Control Panel). This is not required.

  13. When must the judging be complete?

    The judging must be complete by 10 PM EDT on May 23rd .

  14. Can I participate in the Public Choice competition?

    It is our hope that this competition will be successful in engaging the public in the understanding of science research and the value of interdisciplinary graduate education. To encourage this, we will have one “Public Choice” winner to be given to the presentation that has been “liked” most frequently by the public on Facebook. If you have a Facebook account, please participate by “liking” your favorite presentation. All votes (“likes”) must be in by 10 PM EDT on May 23rd.

  15. Is there a way for judges to learn more before the competition?

    Yes. Webinars will be held for judges to walk them through the site and the judging rubric. Look for webinar invitations as we get closer to the competition dates. In addition, PDFs of the posters will be mailed to all judges who requested them ahead of the competition start date.

FAQs for Guests

  1. How can I find presentations that are interesting to me?

    Click on “Videos & Posters” (top right of the screen) to view all presentations. Use keywords to filter presentations and view those that are in your area of interest.

  2. What is the IGERT program?

    IGERT is the National Science Foundation’s flagship interdisciplinary training program, educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers by building on the foundations of their disciplinary knowledge with interdisciplinary training. Please visit About the IGERT Program to learn more.

  3. Can I contact a presenter to get more information?

    On each video/poster page, there is a link to the presenter’s IGERT.org Profile page where you can find more information. Presenters post contact information on their Profile page.

  4. Can I participate in choosing the Public Choice winner?

    Yes! It is our hope that this competition will be successful in engaging the public in the understanding of science research and the value of interdisciplinary graduate education. To encourage this, we will have one “Public Choice” winner to be given to the presentation that has been “liked” most frequently by the public on Facebook. If you have a Facebook account, please participate by “liking” your favorite presentation. All votes (“likes”) must be in by 10 PM EDT on May 23rd. Please spread the word through your social networks!

  5. Can I vote in the Community Choice competition?

    No. Only IGERT.org members who have logged in to the site will have access to voting in this competition. If you are the member of an IGERT program but have not yet registered on site, please apply to join asap. Once you are registered, you will be able to log-in to vote.

  6. Can I post questions, comments, or feedback to the presenters?

    Yes, all guests visiting the videos/posters can post questions and feedback to presenters by posting to the discussion area on their poster/video page. Presenters will be monitoring this area too, so be sure to check back to see replies that are posted to your questions. Comments to presentations can be made through Friday, May 31st.

  7. Who can see the questions that are posted to the presenters?

    Anyone (guests and logged in members) visiting these presenters' poster/video pages can see the questions and replies that are posted to these discussions.

  8. What browser should I use during the competition?

    We advise you to use up-to-date versions of Safari, Firefox, Chrome, or IE.

  9. How do I view a full screen view of a poster?

    Click the “Fullscreen” icon in the toolbar that displays across the top of each poster. This “screen” icon is next to the % Scale bar. You can click it again to escape back to the page size view. We encourage you to use fullscreen for the best view of a poster.

  10. What is the best way to print a poster?

    Click “Download Poster” underneath the poster (bottom right-hand corner). You can then print this PDF as you would print other files from your computer.

  11. How can I participate in the Video and Poster Competition?

    Guests, future employers, and interested members of the public are invited to browse the presentations and watch the videos provided by the presenters. If you are interested in contacting the presenter you can click on their name to see their bio.

    Guests are encouraged to contribute to the discussion for each presentation, and to vote for their favorite presentations using their Facebook account for “Public Choice” voting.

FAQs for IGERT Members

  1. How can I find videos/posters that are most interesting to me?

    Click on Videos & Posters (top navigation) to view all presentations. Use keywords to filter presentations and view those that are in your area of interest.

  2. How do I vote in the Community Choice competition?

    You can vote for the 4 presentations that you find to be the most meritorious by clicking the “Community Choice” button that you will see on each poster/video page. You can view your Community Choice votes by clicking “My Activity” in the top black bar on each page of the site.

  3. Can I change my Community Choice votes?

    Yes. You can select and deselect up to 4 votes at any time. However voting closes and is finalized at 10 PM EDT on May 23rd .

  4. Who can vote in the Community Choice competition?

    With the exception of the 50 designated competition judges, any logged in IGERT member (program coordinators, trainees, faculty, alumni, and partners) can vote for their top 4 favorite presentations in the competition. Members of the public who are not members of IGERT.org cannot vote for Community Choice. All votes must be in by 10 PM EDT on May 23rd.

  5. Colleagues in my IGERT are not yet members of IGERT.org. Can they still join so that they can participate in the competition?

    Any member of an IGERT program (trainees, faculty, program coordinators, alumni, and partners) can become a member of IGERT.org by being invited by a member of their own program or by applying to join. Once they have received an invitation or an approved application, they can complete their registration to become a member of the site.

  6. Who can vote in the Public Choice competition?

    It is our hope that this competition will be successful in engaging the public in the understanding of science research and the value of interdisciplinary graduate education. To encourage this, we will have one “Public Choice” winner to be given to the presentation that has been “liked” most frequently by the public on Facebook. If you have a Facebook account, please participate by “liking” your favorite presentation. All votes (“likes”) must be in by 10 PM EDT on May 23rd. Please spread the word through your social networks!

  7. Can I post questions or feedback to the presenters?

    Yes! You and all guests visiting the videos/posters can post questions and feedback to presenters by posting to the discussion area on their poster/video page. Presenters will be monitoring this area too so be sure to check back to see replies that are posted to your questions. Comments to presentations can be made through Friday, May 31st.

  8. Do I need to log-in to participate?

    Yes. Use the same log-in as you do for IGERT.org. You will need to be logged in to place your 4 votes in the IGERT Community Choice competition.