My Day as a Judge for the ASA K–12 Poster Competition

Justin Z. Smith, U.S. Census Bureau Mathematical Statistician

On April 30, a group of volunteers consisting of professional statisticians, teachers, and researchers gathered at the American Statistical Association’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, to serve as judges for the ASA’s K–12 Poster Competition. After introductions, we were given a scoring rubric and instructions for the scoring process. We assigned a poster scores in various categories and placed a sticker on it to let others know we had reviewed it. I would estimate each person reviewed about 20 posters.

After we judged the posters individually, we voted as a group among our top choices for the first, second, and third places, as well as honorable mentions. Determining first- and second-place posters was straightforward, but there was often debate for third place and the honorable mentions.

I was impressed with the majority of the posters. Many addressed interesting research questions, contained decent graphical elements, and were statistically sound. My advice for students who want to enhance their posters is as follows:

• Don’t add extra dimensions to your graphs if you don’t need to. For example, if you have a 2D histogram of 2D data, don’t make the histogram 3D.
• Try to print out your poster on one seamless piece of paper, rather than cut and paste pieces of paper to the poster board. Also, do not use distracting colors such as neon pink or neon orange. Make it look professional.
• Make your poster stand out (in a good way) from your peers’ posters.
• Check your spelling.
• Make the fonts and graphics large enough to be seen from several feet away.
• Clearly state the source of your data.
• Design an experiment, rather than just finding data to analyze.
• Clearly state the study limitations and assumptions.
• Make sure to include labels on the axes of graphs.
• Make sure to state what you would improve if you were to study this subject again.
• If you have two plots and linear regressions, say X1 vs. Y and X2 vs. Y, consider doing a multiple linear regression of X1 and X2 vs. Y.
• Never state that the p-value = 0, even if that is what the computer output says.
• If you’re doing linear regression, show why the assumptions for linear regression are plausible.
• Be sure to distinguish between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
• Have a research question that is interesting and has major impact on the world.
• Don’t confuse the null hypothesis, H0, and alternative hypothesis, Ha.
• Don’t handwrite anything on the poster.
• Make the conclusions crystal clear.
• If you have a point estimate, also supply a confidence interval.
• Interpret the Pearson correlation coefficient, r, and the coefficient of determination, r², correctly.
• Be cautious when using the computer program’s default fonts and graphics. Just because something came out of the computer does not necessarily mean it is correct.
• Discuss your motivations for doing the project.
• Be sure to check out “What Is a Statistical Poster?” for additional advice.

If you are a K–12 student or teacher interested in submitting a poster for an upcoming poster competition, visit the ASA website for more information.