AVS 2021 International Twitter Poster Competition

Registration Types	Cost
AVS Student Member: Undergraduate or Graduate Student	$5.00
AVS Member: Postdoc or Other	$10.00
Non-Member	$25.00

Who Should Attend?

We welcome participation from science and engineering students (undergraduate and graduate) through early career professionals (postdocs), working anywhere in the world, in any technical domain of relevance to the AVS. You do not need to be a member of the AVS to participate. If you are unfamiliar with the AVS and its members’ broad technical interests, we encourage you to look through the many chapters, divisions, and groups that comprise the society or the wide range of topical symposia to be held at the AVS 67th International Symposium and Exhibition in Charlotte, NC USA. If you still are not sure whether your work is relevant, either contact the organizers or simply register in the “open” category.

How Does This Benefit Me Professionally?

While this online format is distinct from traditional, in-person poster sessions, and will require changes to standard poster designs (see tips and tricks here), the professional benefits are numerous. The audience for a well-crafted poster can be significant, potentially exceeding that at traditional conferences by orders-of-magnitude. This event is a great opportunity to hone your online “presentation” skills. As the world continues to leverage online communication tools, this skill will be increasingly crucial. Awards for competition winners will include monetary prizes, complimentary memberships, and more (see below).

Why Twitter?

Can I Participate as Part of a Team?

Will There be Awards?

Yes! 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be competitively selected in each technical category. Awards will also be given to the most creative and the most ‘liked’ posters. The largest team and team with the highest average poster ranking will be recognized as well. Awards will include monetary prizes ($250 max), complimentary AVS memberships, and recognition via: (i) Twitter and LinkedIn as well as (ii) news stories on the AVS web page and in our monthly electronic newsletter Beneath the AVS Surface.

Procedures

1. If you don’t already have a personal Twitter account, create one here. Only personal Twitter accounts are allowed.

2. Encourage your colleagues to participate! The larger the number of participants, the larger the audience for your work.

3. Create or join a team! Use this opportunity to engage with a local AVS chapter or show your school spirit by creating a team from your university. Select a suitable team hashtag.

4. Pre-register for the poster competition here by May 31, 2021. Your twitter username and team hashtag (if any) are required upon registration.

5. Create your poster using the formatting guidelines here. Be sure to check out the included tips and tricks as well as examples from last year’s competition to maximize your poster’s effectiveness in this online medium.

6. By 8:00 a.m. EDT on June 2nd (check your timezone), tweet a high-resolution image of your poster to your personal Twitter account. Your tweet must include two hashtags: #AVSPosters2021 and one technical category. For example:

“I’m delighted to present my poster titled A New Method for Fabricating Transistors at #AVSPosters2021. Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to chatting with you! #AVS_Devices”

Options: If you are part of a team, be sure to include that hashtag as well. We also encourage participants to use additional hashtags that will drive relevant traffic to their poster. For example:

“I’m delighted to present my poster titled A New Tool for In situ Imaging Area-Selective ALD/ALE Processes at #AVSPosters2021. Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to chatting with you! #AVS_ThinFilms #AVS_Hudson #ALDep #ALEtch”

7. Domain experts will judge the posters from 8:00 a.m. EDT on June 2-3. During this time frame, regularly check your Twitter mentions for questions from judges and anyone who is interested. The poster competition spans multiple days to accommodate presenters and judges in different time zones and allow for sufficient back-and-forth discussion.

8. Invite your colleagues as well as family and friends to view your poster and provide feedback. Encourage them to “like” their favorite posters, including yours!

9. Winners will be announced via Twitter and via email shortly after the end of the event. Participants can only win in one category.

Technical Category/Hashtag	Description
Analytical #AVS_Analytical	Techniques for surface chemical analysis and imaging, including in situ, synchrotron, ion beam, and ellipsometric, in a range of environments.
Bio #AVS_Bio	Fabrication, characterization and application of biomaterials, biointerfaces, biosensors, non-fouling materials, cells, tissues, and microbes.
Thin Films & Coatings #AVS_ThinFilms	Fabrication, characterization, and modeling of thin films and coatings for science and applications. Includes topics such as ALD/ALE and atomically precise manufacturing.
Plasmas #AVS_Plasma	Plasma science and technology, from fundamental understanding of plasma physics and chemistry to emerging and industrial applications of plasmas.
Devices #AVS_Devices	Materials, interfaces, and processing that advance any type of functional device, such as electronic, photonic, optoelectronic, MEMS/NEMS, energy conversion, and magnetic.
Quantum and Nano #AVS_QuantumNano	Research that uses the building blocks of quantum mechanics to engineer nano or microscale systems in a way that impacts experimental research, instrumentation, and applications. Creation, characterization, and application of nanoscale structures and assemblies, which exploit the unique properties of low dimensionality and size. Includes topics such as 2-D materials, nanocrystals, and nanowires.
Surface Science #AVS_SurfSci	Studies of gas-solid and liquid-solid interfaces, heterogeneous catalysis, and photochemistry.
Vacuum & Space Sciences #AVS_Vacuum	Achieving, maintaining, analyzing, and measuring vacuum and low pressure gas dynamics across many applications. Characterization of kinetics and dynamics, abundances, and reactivities of molecules in astrophysical environments.
Open #AVS_Open	All other science and engineering that is of relevance to the AVS but is not represented in the above categories. The organizers may move posters to a more relevant category as necessary.