2nd STEM Spark: INFORMS K-12 Poster Competition
Competition Sponsor: INFORMS Education Outreach Committee K-12
๐ Overview ๐
This poster competition invites INFORMS student members to participate with the goal of inspiring the next generation of problem-solvers. We seek posters that describe your research in an accessible and engaging manner for high school students, with the goal of motivating their future participation in analytical problem-solving practice.
๐ผ๏ธ Theme โMake Research Real!โ ๐ผ๏ธ
Tell a story about your research that high school students can understand and connect to real life. Submitted posters should include:ย
What is the challenge that is addressed?ย
Why is it an important problem for business, government, or society?
What methods and techniques are used, that is, what is the problem approach?ย
How is the research showing promise?ย What results have been obtained so far?ย ย
How would a good solution benefit the relevant problem stakeholders?
๐ Submission Link ๐
Submit your poster and video here: https://forms.gle/TtmRL81iSTZtHsrLA
๐ ย Timeline ๐
August 31, 2026 (extended deadline): Submission closeย
November: Winners announced & celebrated at the 2026 INFORMS Annual Meeting in San Francisco
๐ Who Can Enter? ๐ย
ALL INFORMS Student Members. One entry per student member. Past participants have ranged from freshmen to PhD students.
๐ Poster Requirements ๐ย
Poster Size: 36" x 48" (landscape orientation)ย
Poster Presentation: Submit a 3~5-minute recorded video that describes the poster
Criteria for Evaluation:
Audience: Poster content should be directed at high school level of comprehension
Content: Evaluated on clarity, alignment with theme, and the effectiveness of the research story
Copyright: Posters must be original work only, no copyrighted or third-party materialsย
Design: Visually engaging and creative - reduce text and highlight visuals
๐ Awards & Recognition ๐
๐ฅ 1st Place: $600 + Certificateย
๐ฅ 2nd Place: $300 + Certificate
๐ฅ 3rd Place: $100 + Certificate
Selected posters and associated videos will be featured on our K-12 Committee website to support learning and STEM outreach.ย
๐ฉ Organizaters & Contact ๐ฉ
Zihan Zhang, Arizona State University (zhzhang@asu.edu)
Fenglian Pan, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (fpan4@charlotte.edu)ย
Yifeng Wang, Georgia Institute of Technology (ywang3989@gatech.edu)ย
Yuhao Zhong, Virginia Tech (yuhao@vt.edu)