Symposium

5^th CROSS FACULTY GRADUATE SYMPOSIUM
Showcasing Graduate Research at Wits
Thursday 1st and Friday 2^nd August 2013

PLEASE CHECK YOUR WITS EMAIL ADDRESS

The Graduate Support Division takes pleasure in announcing the date of the 5^th Wits Cross Faculty Graduate Symposium which will take place on Thursday 1^st and Friday 2^nd August 2013.

We invite registered Masters and PhD students from all five Faculties to attend the Symposium, submit their research for presentation and compete for the substantial cash prizes available. Presentation can be in the form of an oral presentation or a poster. In addition, five students, one from each Faculty, will be selected to give an oral presentation to judges at a single plenary session, vying for a top prize. We also welcome volunteer session chairpersons and registration officials. 

This first announcement is to alert you the graduate students to the forthcoming Symposium and give you ample time to complete that extra bit of work to allow you to submit an abstract. Remember, to participate your research need not be complete.

We also welcome the academic community at large to register to attend and support their students.

There is no cost involved in presenting or registering for the Symposium.

Further notices will follow with more information on abstract details, venues, prize monies, workshops and more. How to prepare an abstract, a poster and an oral presentation and chairperson duties will be made available online. Please look out for our 2^nd Announcement for details.

We invite you to finish your research, submit your abstract, volunteer for duties and experience why “Wits has the Edge.”

Professor Mary Scholes
Hildegard Chapman
Rechelle Tsunke

Details of the Symposium

The Graduate Support Division is happy to announce that the online registration site is now up and running. 

The Symposium welcomes Master’s and Doctoral students to:

• present their research
• be rewarded for excellence
• be stimulated by the range of postgraduate research at Wits
• meet students in other disciplines
• explore research synergies across disciplines
• hone their presentation skills
• acquaint themselves with conference procedures

Please read carefully before you register

Eligibility

• All Wits registered Master’s and PhD postgraduates may submit current or completed research towards their higher degree for consideration.
• Due to space and time constraints abstract submissions may be limited.

Submission of Abstracts

The deadline for abstract submission is Friday 3 May 2013. The content of the abstract is strictly limited to 250 words.

Presentation Structures

• There are five Faculty strands.
• Delegates will present in their Faculty venue to a panel of adjudicators from their Faculty.
• Delegates will be competing for a prize in the cross-faculty oral presentations as well as for a prize within their own Faculty strand.
• The challenge is for presenters to make their work understandable to a diverse audience, who will be viewing the posters and attending the oral presentations, without compromising the quality of the research.

There are two presentation formats

• Oral presentations and
• Posters

Oral presentations

• Oral presenters will be selected by Faculty reviewers according to the quality of the abstract submitted
• Not all abstracts are selected for presentation
• If not selected for oral presentation, some abstract submissions will be given the option of presenting a poster
• All oral presentations take place on 1 August
• Oral presenters are selected to participate in one of five Faculty specific sessions

• Timing for oral presentations is 20 minutes with 15 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for Q & A.

Cross-faculty oral presentations

• The first prize winner in each Faculty in the oral presentations will vie for a top prize in the cross-faculty oral presentations on 2 August.

Posters

• Posters will be selected for display according to the quality of the abstract submitted
• Not all poster abstracts are selected for display 
• Posters will be judged on 2 August
• Poster candidates should be available for Q & A by judges on 2 August.

Selection process      

• Each Faculty will convene an adjudicating panel to select the presenters from their Faculty based on the quality of the written abstracts.
• Each Faculty will convene a panel of judges who will judge the oral presentations and posters for the prizes.

Prizes

Prizes are awarded in the following categories:

Cross-faculty oral presentations (top achiever form each Faculty oral presentation):

• 1^st place – R7 000
• 2^nd place– R5 000
• 3^rd place – R3 000
• 4^th place – R2 000
• 5^th place – R1 000

Oral presentations (Faculty specific):

• 1^st place in Faculty –R7 000
• 2^nd place in Faculty - R5 000
• 3^rd place in Faculty – R2 500 

Posters (Faculty specific):

• 1^st place in Faculty –R7 000
• 2^nd place in Faculty - R5 000
• 3^rd place in Faculty – R2 500 

Staff Attendance

It is important for the presenters to have a knowledgeable audience to see and hear their work. Staff members are encouraged to attend the oral presentations on 1 August and to examine the poster displays which will be judged on Friday 2 August.

Volunteers

Candidates will be asked in the registration form to volunteer as

• Chairpersons and

• Registration assistants

Lectures and Workshops

How to Lunchtime Lectures

Professor Mary Scholes will present the following lunch time lectures that will help prepare participants.

Venue and time for all lectures: SHB 1 between 13.15 till 14.00

• Writing an Abstract (2 lectures): Wednesday 3^rd and 10^th April
• Making a Poster (1 lecture): Monday 15^th July
• How to put together and present an Oral Paper (1 lecture):  Thursday 18^th July
• How to be a Chairperson: Website only

All the above lectures will be made available on the Symposium website.

Please also attend the workshop by Professor David Mycock on tips and formats for making a successful presentation at a Conference:

4^th Floor Conference Room, Wartenweiler Library between 9.00 and 13.00

• Tuesday 14^th May

You are most welcome to contact us should you have any queries

Professor Mary Scholes

Hildegard Chapman
Graduate Support Division, Research Office

Rechelle Tsunke
Functions and Events

Enquiries
Hildegard Chapman
Graduate Support Division
Tel: +27 11 7171156
Email hildegard.chapman@wits.ac.za          

LOOK OUT FOR THE DETAILED PROGRAMME OF EVENTS TO BE POSTED LATER IN THE YEAR