Current undergraduate and graduate students in any College of IST degree program are eligible to participate in the IST Student Success Showcase. Interested students must apply by March 21.

Participants selected for the showcase are required to attend the entirety of the two-hour event.

Step 1: Submit your application

The application consists of two parts, both of which should be submitted using the showcase application form by the March 21 deadline:

1. Project Proposal
2. Draft Poster

Apply by March 21

Project Proposal

The project proposal is a written overview of your work. In the showcase application, you will need to provide information on the following items:

• Poster Title
  • Examples of student projects that would be good poster candidates include:
    • "Obstacles in Prosecuting Transnational Cyber Criminals"
    • "Mobile Application Design to Encourage Civic Engagement"
    • "Influence of Technology Exposure on Female Career Interest"
    • "Understanding Learning Impediments of the Linux Operating System"
    • "Using Data Mining to Detect Hate Speech on Twitter"
    • "Community Action Stops Abuse Website Analysis and Prototype"
• Presenter Information
  • Name and Penn State email address for each recognized co-author
• Abstract (250 words maximum)
  • A short description of the project that addresses the following:
    • Purpose (100 words). What is the objective or the problem addressed by your project, and what is the context that makes the objective or problem important to address?
    • Method (50 words). How did you (or how will you) carry out your project?
    • Outcome (50 words). What are your existing, preliminary, or expected results, findings, solutions, recommendations, or designs?
    • Reflection (50 words). What did you learn (or what are you expecting to learn) from doing this project? In your answer, consider what compels you to do this work and/or the insights you gained or expect to gain.
• Topic Area
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity Analytics and Operations
  • Data Sciences
  • Enterprise Technology Integration
  • Human-Centered Design and Development
  • Informatics
  • Information Sciences and Technology
  • Security and Risk Analysis
• Faculty Member/Mentor
  • Name and Penn State email address of a faculty member or mentor who is familiar with your work. Remember to ask the faculty member to use their name before adding it to the proposal.

Draft Poster

The draft poster is a visual representation of your project. In the application, you must upload a PDF of your poster that lays out section headings, text about the purpose of the project, and examples or descriptions of images/graphics that you intend to include.

The draft does not need to contain the final text and graphics. However, the more information you can include, the more helpful it will be to the faculty reviewers. If your project is selected for the showcase, you will submit a final version of your poster by the April 18 deadline.

Step 2: Await notification

On March 28, students will be notified of whether or not their project was accepted to the showcase.

Step 3: Submit a final poster

Students whose presentations were selected for the showcase must submit their final posters in PDF format by April 18. Information about submitting final posters will be shared with selected students in early April.

The College of IST will print submitted posters at no cost to the student. See the "Poster Guidelines and Examples" section below for more information.

• Monday, February 24: Students may begin submitting applications
• Friday, March 21: Last day to submit an application
• Friday, March 28: Applicants are notified that their proposal is accepted or denied for inclusion in the Showcase
• Friday, April 18: Deadline for accepted applicants to submit final posters
• Friday, April 25: IST Student Success Showcase 

The College of IST will print posters for participants at no cost to the student. Students can visit the Libraries website for information about how to create effective posters and to view examples.

• Posters should be sized to either 24 in. x 36 in. or 48 in. x 36 in.
• Posters should be submitted in an editable file format, such as .pptx or .indd.
• Students should be prepared to give 3- to 5-minute presentations of their project to showcase attendees.
• Participants are required to be present for the entirety of the two-hour in-person event.
• All posters must remain on display for the entirety of the event. Posters that remain displayed after the end of the event will be recycled. 

There are several ways you can leverage your participation in this event: 

• Add an impressive line to your resume and professional portfolio that can distinguish yourself from your peers
  • 2025 College of IST Student Success Showcase
    • [Title] project chosen for competitive IST Student Success Showcase, which highlights projects that exemplify creative thinking, problem-solving, and critical inquiry
• Include an image of your completed poster on LinkedIn
• Network with IST alumni and IST Dean’s Advisory Board members at the event
• Share your ideas and accomplishments with the IST community
• Sport your new College of IST t-shirt for showcase participants