Symposium Paper Rules and Overview

See the main Symposium Homepage for Deadlines.

Topics: Any undergraduate engineering or science research paper/presentation will be accepted provided it ties into the space community.  Sessions will be defined depending on the number and areas of the papers submitted.

Eligibility: Any project or student associated with a Colorado Space Grant program is eligible.  Only ONE non-Space Grant project or group may submit from each of the member schools on an first come first serve basis. All authors must be Undergraduate students, but faculty and graduate student advisers are encouraged to support the authors and their research.

Registration: Please register with the COSGC-Symposium group.

Before getting started review the Detailed Abstract, Paper and Presentation Rules

Papers: The paper report is limited to 20 pages (8.5" x 11") double spaced single sided or 10 pages single spaced not including figures tables and graphs that appear in the appendix.  See past papers as examples but not all past papers adhere to these newer rules.

• Margins must be a minimum of one inch (1") on all sides, not including headers, footnotes and page numbers.  
• The paper must be typed in 10-point font or larger.
• Each page should be numbered at the bottom
• The first page must include the title of the paper, full names of all authors, name of the college or university and the student's faculty advisor's name.

Here is a Suggested Template which meets all the submission requirements and will make your paper look professional.

You don't have to follow this template, it is only provided as guidance if needed.

Presentations: The oral presentation will be 15 minutes long with an additional 5 minutes for a questions and answers period.  Participants are encouraged to submit their paper at the various technical conferences the rest of the year. 

Judging: Will be done by University faculty, industry representatives and COSGC representatives.  The papers will be judged on the criteria below and then combined with an overall presentation score at the Symposium.  The results will be announced at then end of the day.

Scoring Criteria:

• Technical Content - This concerns the correctness of the theory, validity of the reasoning used, apparent understanding or grasp of the subject.
• Originality - Does the author show independence of thinking or a fresh approach to the subject?
• Practical Application - Does the author reach conclusions that are feasible and practical for use?
• Style/Form - Does the paper and presentation present the material clearly and in the good, acceptable form for a technical audience?

• Paper - Technical Content, Scientific Merit and Originality (45%)
• Paper - Practical Application (15%)
• Paper - Clarity of Writing (10%)
• Presentation - Visual and Oral presentation and response to questions (30%)

Prizes: All paper Authors/Presenters will receive a certificate of participation.  Each Session winner will receive a monetary award. .

Authorship: Teams of up to 4 people will be accepted for each presentation.  Please document all references used in the paper. 

Submission: Please submit an electronic copy of you paper/presentation no later than than the deadline specified on the main page.  Acceptable formats are: MS Word, MS Powerpoint, PDF, or text.  Any version of those formats are OK. 

Note:

• We are going to try our best to allow everyone who submits an acceptable paper to make an oral presentation.  The schedule will depend on the number of topics and submissions received.