Abstract submission deadline: February 4, 2011
SUBMITTING YOUR ABSTRACT
Complete the online abstract submission form to upload your abstract (.pdf file). Please refer to the Resources section off the home page (and listed below), for helpful information. Teams are encouraged to review the Project Evaluation Form to better understand how the Steering Committee will be judging this competition.
No revisions can be accepted, so please proof your abstract file very carefully before submitting it.
We will not accept revisions or make corrections to abstracts submitted to this meeting. If there are any technical problems with the content of your abstract (for example, your file was corrupted), we will be trying to contact you immediately, so it is very important that you provide us with up-to-date contact information on the submission form.
Thank you for participating in the 2011 RASC-AL Competition!
General Instructions
Abstracts are limited to four pages (including figures, tables, and references) and must be submitted in PDF format.
Abstract files must include the title, team members' names, and affiliation. Please note that this information will not be extracted from the electronic abstract submission form.
You are responsible for the formatting and appearance of your abstract. Figures and tables must be placed in the file and therefore must be in digital format. We recommend that you use image file formats that provide acceptable resolution without being huge (for example, please don't use a 1-MB TIFF file when a 250-K GIF file will do). File size cannot exceed 1.5 MB.
Fonts
Please use fonts common to Macintosh and PC platforms, i.e., Times, Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Arial for text; Symbol for mathematical symbols and Greek letters.
Education and Public Outreach (E/PO):
All teams must include an education and public outreach (E/PO) activity as required by the RASC-AL guidelines. E/PO examples include actively participating in school career days, science fairs, technology fairs, extracurricular science clubs, or setting up exhibits in local science museums or a local library. Each team's outreach project should be hands-on and interactive, and relate directly to an underlying science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) concept or principle addressed in your engineering challenge.
For examples of NASA education resources that can support your E/PO effort, please visit NASA eClips™ which offer short, relevant educational video segments for use in formal and informal learning environments. The videos and supporting resources inspire and engage students, and help them see real world connections. The NASA Education website provides information on programs, resources, and opportunities for elementary through undergraduate students, classroom teachers, and informal educators.
Students are encouraged to have fun with their E/PO activity, and share their knowledge of science and engineering with the students and/or the local community. Winners of the competition will be encouraged to showcase their E/PO project at a national space conference. A requirement for E/PO participation at the conference is that the activity be interactive and hands on, and related to STEM. Linkages to space exploration and NASA missions are encouraged.
Below are a few example sites that may be useful when preparing your presentations. We encourage teams to research how to give professional and effective presentations.
Abstract Guidelines:
AIP Style Manual – Physics Manuscripts
http://www.aip.org/pubservs/style/4thed/toc.html
American Institute of Physics
Earth Science Abstract Guidelines
http://www.earthresearch.com/writing-abstract.shtml
Earth Research
Engineering Abstract Guidelines
http://www.ecf.toronto.edu/~writing/abstract.htm
University of Toronto
Oral Presentations:
Oral Presentation Guide
http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/oralpres.html
(University of Kansas Medical Center)
Poster Presentations:
How to Prepare a Poster
http://www.siam.org/meetings/guidelines/poster.php
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
How to Make a Great Poster
http://www.aspb.org/education/poster.cfm
University of Washington