Poster Showcase Review

I started my preparation of the poster showcase over the summer with little direction on how I wanted
to present my internship experience. I was unsure whether to rely heavily on the technical aspects or
just showcase my personal contributions to the projects I had worked on. Seeing examples of previous
students’ posters was helpful in helping me accomplish this initial direction. I saw they focused heavily
on exactly what their involvement had been, and the what made their contributions meaningful
throughout the summer at their respective organizations. However, as I always do, I had trouble
competently showcasing my achievements, at that point.

The practices were exceedingly helpful. I could see, when I presented to my PSM peers, what people
were interested in listening to, and what should be avoided, in order to keep attendees from losing
interest. I found that the audience was most interested in hearing the results of the project, and the
professional and personal outcomes I received from the internship. I know this wasn’t a universal
experience to the whole class, but I found the session with the instructors and Kelsie, particularly
formative. I found that I received the best advice from that event. I think this is also my advice for the
whole process. Individual sessions may be a constructive way to spend a class in the future.

The poster showcase was a lot more fun than I had originally anticipated. I was surprised by the amount
of people who were genuinely interested in the work I presented. I had very well-developed discussions
with Dr. Rausch and a man who works for AgCo in R&D within research park. The showcase gave me a
good sense of achievement and importance of my internship experience.