2025 Kick Off Meeting Student Presenters

The Kick-Off Meeting student presentations are designed to introduce new and returning students to the students and the work of other WNCG lab groups, and to encourage collaboration between them.

• Length: 2 minutes maximum!

  • You will get a 30 second warning

  • At 2 minutes, we will ring the gong; your presentation ends the moment the gong sounds!

• Materials: 1 slide only

  • Slides are due to WNCG Staff before the meeting (deadline below)

  • Slides will auto-advance when your time is up, so don’t run over!

  • We are using PowerPoint for the meeting; you may design your slide in Keynote or other design apps, but be aware of possible formatting issues.

• Content: see "Content" below for guidelines

Slide upload DEADLINE - Midnight Tuesday, August 26, 2025, 11:59 PM (23:59)

Presentation Day - Friday, August 19, 2025 11:00 AM, EER 1.516

1. Name your file using the following format: PresenterFirstNameLastName(Last Name of Lab PI)

   1. for example, JaneDoe(Brown).pptx

2. Upload your slide using the following Box link: https://utexas.app.box.com/f/0628bb067304460caf9d85c191543655

3. Deadline is Tuesday, August 26, 11:59 PM (23:59)

• Introduce your lab group’s main research focus – keep it general and highlight the most interesting points

• Introduce members of your lab (photos!)

• Keep things fun, funny, and BRIEF; remember, not everyone will be familiar with technical terminology

• Please build your slides in widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio

• Topics the group studies

• Current projects

• Significant research breakthrough or victory from the past year

• Research hurdles the group has encountered that may benefit from collaboration

• Group traditions, 

• Group member hobbies

• Group activities open to students from other labs

• “Fun facts” about group members or the advisor

• An interactive element to keep your audience engaged

• GROUP PHOTOS

• Anything you want to share with us that will help us get to know your group!

Here are just a few examples of slides presented last year that were

• simple,

• fun,

• personal,

• and informational:

Open

• Stage Right = The right side of the stage when standing onstage

• Stage Left = The left side of the stage when standing onstage.

• Title Slide = I inserted a slide before your lab's slide with your lab's name & the presenter(s) names

• "On Deck" = at the top of the ramp, stage right.

1. Enter from Stage RIGHT
   
   

2. Be "on deck" at the 30-second bell of the presentation before yours

3. • Look for the "On-Deck" note on the title slide of the presenter before you

   • Take a laser pointer from the On-Deck Box if you want to use one.
     
     

4. Press "Enter" while on your title slide to flip to your slide 

5. • Your 2 minutes starts when it flips to yours

   • If the person before you finished early, you may need to press enter 2x (if you see a "START" label on your title slide, it's ready to go. If the "START" label is not shown, you'll hit enter twice)
     
     

6. When you hear the "tap/ding," you have 30 seconds left
   
   

7. At 20-seconds-left, your slide content will automatically start to fade away into the next title slide
   
   

8. When you hear the "gong," your time is up! Please stop talking immediately & turn your microphone off.
   
   

9. Exit Stage LEFT and BRING YOUR MICROPHONE [& laser pointer]
   
   

10. At the edge of Stage Left, please use the Clorox wipes there to wipe down your microphone
    
    

11. Take your microphone back to the "On Deck" position and hand it to the presenter there.
    
    

12. We'll have hand sanitizer at the On Deck position if you'd like to sanitize.