2025 John Sargon Albazi Student Symposium

We are pleased to announce that the John Albazi Student Symposium will be held on Friday, May 2, 2025.

At the Student Symposium, NEIU students share their research and creative work in poster and oral presentations. Undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in presenting will secure a faculty member to sponsor their application to the Symposium if they are not already working with a research or creative activities mentor.

As in past years, students accepted to present at the Symposium will have an opportunity to compete for two awards. The Bernard Brommel Awards will recognize the strongest presentations in each session. The NEIU Libraries Awards for Excellence in Research will recognize outstanding student efforts in the area of library-based research.

Please direct any questions to the Symposium Planning Committee at rcasymposium@neiu.edu.

We look forward to an exciting event, sharing some of the fascinating work our students have to offer. We hope you can join us.

The full program, including abstracts and additional information will be found in NEIU Digital Commons, the University's institutional repository.

What to do BEFORE the Student Symposium

• Think about what you will wear for your presentation. Plan to dress up a bit from what you normally wear to class. As a rough guide, think about how you would like to be perceived if you were meeting an important colleague for the first time. Here are some good options:
  • Classic suit/sport coat/blazer with trousers, tie optional
  • Pencil or tailored A-line skirt and blouse, sweater or cardigan optional
  • Dress pants/slacks with a collared shirt, tie optional
  • Dress with a blazer
  • Chinos/khakis and a polo (no ties with polos)
  • Dressy shoes (flats or heels up to 2 inches; loafers or lace-up leather dress shoes - and for men, belt color matches shoe color)
  • Keep the style simple and colors conservative - gray, navy, tan, black, olive, light blue, dark green, maroon, white. This helps give you credibility in the eyes of the audience. Avoid flashy, loud, revealing, casual (no sweats or athletic shoes) trendy (no ripped jeans), or quirky clothes or accessories. These distract from your presentation and instead draw attention to your outfit - this is not what you want. If you do not currently own anything like this, you might find good pieces at the Power Closet in Career Development. Contact them at least 2 weeks in advance of your presentation.

Podium Presenters

• You will receive the time and location of your session, and the name and contact information of the Moderator for your session, a few days before the symposium. When you get this info, visit the room where your session will be held so you can find it easily on the day of the Symposium.
• Plan to email your presentation PowerPoint to your Moderator 2 days before the Symposium (no later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday, April 30th). You will receive an email letting you know who your moderator is and their email address before this date.
• Save your presentation on a flash drive and bring that flash drive to the symposium as a backup.
• Attend the "How to Conference" Student Orientation on Zoom, April 24th at 3:05 p.m. We will cover what to expect, how to prepare your presentation, how you will be assessed by faculty judges, and general conference etiquette. You will have the opportunity to ask questions. Student presenters and faculty mentors are welcome to attend. Note that this session will be recorded and the link sent to all student presenters.
• Practice, practice, practice, practice, and practice your presentation with your faculty sponsor and with other students over a couple of weeks. Ask them for how your presentation can be improved. Time yourself when you practice - your presentation must be no more than 15 minutes long

Poster Presenters

• The Student Center for Science Engagement (SCSE) has agreed to print students' posters for the NEIU Symposium on their large format printer for free.
• Their only request is to have the SCSE acknowledged in the posters. Please include this acknowledgement statement: ("Poster printing was sponsored by the NEIU Student Center for Science Engagement").
• The submission deadline for them to print these posters is Friday, April 25th, at 9 am - have your poster ready to print before this time. Posters should be submitted to this link: https://forms.gle/TGFq31JPbktL6gBb8
• If you have your poster printed using this link, pick up your poster between noon on May 29 and noon on May 1 at B-141 (Honors/McNair office). Wright College students - your posters will be available at the symposium poster venue.

Podium Presenters: What to Expect the Day of the Presentation

• Arrive at the location of your session 15 minutes before it starts to help the moderator get started on time. Bring your presentation on a flash drive as a back-up.
• Each podium presentation will last approximately 15 minutes and will be followed by a 5-minute Q&A session.
• Each session has a Moderator and 2 Discussants. The Moderator will provide introductory and concluding remarks for the session, introduce each presentation, and keep time. Discussants will facilitate the question and answer section following each presentation,score your presentation, and may have some questions for you as well. Members of the audience can also ask questions.
• Plan to stay in your session from beginning to end. If you need to use the restroom, wait until the break if possible and return to the session before the next presentation starts.

Poster Presenters: What to Expect the Day of the Presentation

• Poster sessions will run from 10:00 am - 11:30 am and 12:00 - 1:30 pm in the hallway south of the bookstore
• You will be emailed a Poster Number that tells you where to set up your poster
• Arrive 30 minutes before your session to set up your poster on the board with your Poster Number. If you are in the 10-11:30 poster session, you can leave your poster up after the session is over, but you’ll need to take it down before 1:30 pm. All posters must be removed by 1:30 pm.
• Use the restroom before your poster session starts so you can stand by your poster for the entire session.
• During the poster presentation session, you will stand by your poster, briefly present your work to any attendees, and answer questions.

Plan to stay for lunch following the podium sessions at 1:45 and the Awards Ceremony at 2:45. 

Please let us know if you have any questions.