CERS 2010 - FAQs

You will find answers to most of you queries here, so please read carefully.

1. What is CERS ?

- The College of Engineering Research Symposium (CERS) organized by the Engineering Graduate Student Council (EGSC) from support of The College of Engineering. CERS is a platform for all students at Penn State to showcase their research work and is a great way to get an experience of being at a conference.

2. Is the Symposium open to students outside the College of Engineering ?

- Yes. Any student doing research in a technical or related field are invited to submit papers, posters and make presentations. However, research conducted outside of Penn State, even at a previously attended university , may not be presented at CERS. As always, please ensure that you take into consideration the level of the audience's expertise into account when presenting your work.

2.1 Can students who have not submitted a paper or poster attend the Symposium ?

- Yes. Students who have not submitted a paper / poster are most welcome to attend these presentations and gain valuable experience and knowledge about the current research at Penn State University.

2.2 Is there any registration for students who have not submitted a paper or poster and are interested in attending the Symposium ?

- There is no registration for general attendance at the Symposium. Please show up as per the schedule available on the website.

There is no participation fee for anyone who wants to attend the event.

3. When and Where will CERS be held ?

- March 24, 2009 (Tuesday) at the Nittany Lion Inn. CERS is an all day activity starting with breakfast reception at 8 AM and ending with an awards ceremony around 5 PM.

4. What is the day's program like ?

- There will be a breakfast reception at 8 AM followed by morning poster and presentation sessions. There is a guest speaker at the catered luncheon. This is followed by afternoon poster and presentation sessions, an afternoon keynote speaker, and the awards ceremony around 5PM.

5. How long are the presentations ?

- Generally, 15 minutes and an additional 5 minutes question & answer session.

6. What if I have a class when my presentation is scheduled ?

- Presentation sessions can be coordinated with the student's availability. Co-authors can also present the work.

7. What can I do my paper/presentation on ?

- Any research, past or current, performed at Penn State.

8. What if I don't have any final results for my research by the time I present ?

- Your research can be presented as a "work in progress" with an outline of methodology and expected results.

9. How many authors are permitted ?

- Up to five authors are permitted. If more than five authors are appropriate, please contact the Symposium Chairman, Gopalendu Pal, gzp108[at]psu.edu. Inquiries will be handled on a case by case basis.

10. How will participating benefit me ?

- In many ways ! You can practice your presentation skills, especially if the candidacy or comprehensive exams are in your near future. You can also get feedback on your research from other graduate students, faculty and industry. Industry representatives will also be there, you can network with them that would help you with your career in the future.

11. Do I have to submit a paper or make a presentation ?

- You may submit a poster without writing a paper, but you must be present for the poster session.

12. Can my advisor be a co-author of the paper ?

- Yes. But it is optional. The student must be the first author of the paper/poster. This a change from previous year, so please see the new information on the faculty page.

13. But I want to submit the paper to other journals...?

- Copyright of the paper is maintained by the authors(s). Our "Agreement to Publish" (Agreement to Reproduce and Present) only applies to the symposium and sharing it with the Penn State community. We will not publish your paper in any journal. It will be included in any proceedings that will be made available after the symposium. So, you can still submit your paper to any journal.

14. I am still not sure about this agreement to publish.

- Well, remember that we are looking for short papers (up to 6 pages) that emphasize general aspects (rather than technical merits). Peer-reviewed journal papers require more technical qualities than CERS. You should summarize your technical approach in your CERS paper and presentation. In the least, you can modify your journal paper and change the title for CERS.

15. What kind of awards are presented ?

- The award categories include Top Undergraduate (Paper & Presentation), Top Three Graduate Overall (Paper & Presentation), and Top Poster. Awards will be travel/research grants, amounts to be determined.

If you have any further queries, please contact CERS 2010 team members