GRASP Symposium

8:00 AM - Student presenters check-in (Woolsey Hall 1st floor) and set up posters

8:15 AM - Breakfast (Woolsey Hall Atrium)

8:30 - 10 AM - Oral presentations (Wolsey Hall 225, 233 and 234)

10 AM - Poster judges check in (Woolsey Hall 135)

10:15 AM - Students ready to present posters (Woolsey Hall Atrium and Fidelity Ball Ballroom)

10:15 AM - 12.15 PM - Judging (Woolsey Hall Atrium and Fidelity Bank Auditorium)

12:15 PM - Judges dismissed for lunch (Woolsey Hall Auditorium)

12:15 - 12:30 PM – Students pick up posters and go for lunch (Woolsey Hall Auditorium) 

12:30 - 1:15 PM – Keynote presentation and lunch (Woolsey Hall Auditorium)

1:15 - 1:45 PM - Awards ceremony (Woolsey Hall Auditorium)

2026: April 9, 2027

Graduate students from any WSU department are eligible to apply to participate in the annual Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) symposium.

All applicants must submit an abstract of their research by February 15th, 2026.

Your abstract should reflect the standards in your field. To accommodate this, we have two abstract templates that you should choose from. Consult with your advisor to make sure you are using the best template for your field. Remember that the overall GRASP audience will not be experts in your field.

Abstract templates are available at the WSU Graduate Research Intranet (WSU ID required). 

If you are looking for general inspiration or want to see what others have done in the past, you can review previous years' abstracts in University Libraries' SOAR database.

Students must work with their advisor in the application process and when preparing their abstracts and posters. Make sure you speak with your advisor before submitting your abstract

Please note that the person who submits the proposal will receive all communications from GRASP. It will be their responsibility to forward information to co-authors.

• SUBMISSION CLOSES FEBRUARY 15 AT 11:59 PM

Note: the submittal form will lose the formatting from your MS Word document. Save your MS Word file for later use.

The Editorial Board will review the abstracts and select participants.

Abstracts will be published in the Shocker Open Access Repository (SOAR).

• Abstract submission January 16 - February 15, 2026
• Notification of acceptance March 9, 2026
• Posters due to printers by April 10, 2026
• Final abstracts and advisor's review due by April 17, 2026.
• April 24, 2026 GRASP Symposium in RSC Ballroom and 2nd floor

Posters may be no larger than 36 x 48 inches. There are no exceptions to sizing. If your poster is too large, you may not be able to participate. GRASP will provide tacks for posters--you need only bring your poster to the event.

You are responsible for getting your poster printed. We encourage you to seek funding support from your advisors, program, department, etc. Posters should be submitted to Shocker Printing Solutions by March 28, 2025 to ensure it is ready in time for the symposium.

Be prepared to give a 3-5 minute oral summary of your project to the judges. After your summary, judges may ask you questions about your project. Remember, judges will come from all areas of the University, so your poster and summation should be directed to a general audience. 

• Clear design starts with clear thinking!
• Keep in mind that most people (and judges) viewing your poster are not experts in your field.
• A well-organized and succinct poster is more likely to grab the audience's attention. A crowded, complicated, difficult-to-read poster will be passed by for an easy-to-read, well organized poster.
• Be consistent: font size and style, alignment of text and graphics, fond size change on bullet levels, grammar and punctuation (e.g., sentence tense, use of periods), etc.
• Use a pleasing color scheme and make your text, graphics, tables, and pictures stand out form the background. Make sure to balance white space and text to avoid clutter and emptiness.
• Less=more
• Use high-resolution, readable graphics, tables, and pictures that are properly labeled to eliminate text and make your poster more visually appealing.  Do not use 3-dimensional graphs. 

For excellent advice on preparing a poster, see Designing Conference Posters by Colin Purrington.

Poster templates and videos are available at the WSU Graduate Research Intranet (WSU ID required).

Recordings:

• "Abstract Writing", by Christine Freak, co-author or Abstracts and the Writing of Abstracts
• "Giving Poster Presentations", by John Bond, author of The Little Guide to Giving Poster Presentations.

February 20, 12-1 PM, "Giving Poster Presentations", by John Bond, author of The Little Guide to Giving Poster Presentations. Via Zoom.

March 11, 3-4 PM, "Creating a Stunning Research Poster", by WSU Librarians Meghann Kuhlmann and Fional Holly. In person (Ablah Library Digital Commons) and also online (with registration). Register here.

April 1, 9-10 AM, "Abstract Writing", by Christine Freak, co-author or Abstracts and the Writing of Abstracts. Via Zoom.

The Judging Rubrics for Posters provides more information on expectations for posters and presentations.

Want to judge poster presentations? Sign up here.

At the GRASP event in April, both oral and poster presentations will be judged and winners will be awarded prizes.