Call for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Aging (CIHR-IA) Student Poster Competition, , in partnership with the Quebec Network for Research on Aging

The CIHR Institute of Aging and the Quebec Network for Research on Aging will be sponsoring a poster competition for graduate and post graduate students at the CAG Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting December 2-4, 2010 in Montréal, Québec at the Centre Sheraton. The Institute of Aging and the Quebec Network for Research on Aging will each be awarding a $500 prize in each of the following categories: Master, PhD. and Post Doctoral Fellow, for a total of 6 prizes. Prizes will be offered in each of the categories provided there is significant student representation in each of these categories.  Undergraduate students are not eligible.

The CIHR Institute of Aging and the Quebec Network for Research on Aging encourage posters on research projects on aging in the Social Sciences and Humanities and in any of CIHR's four themes or even across themes. The CIHR Themes are:

1. Biomedical;
2. Applied clinical science;
3. Health services and systems research; and,
4. Social, cultural, environmental and population health.

Results presented by the students should be based on their graduate research projects.

The poster must stand on its own merit and not require additional verbal explanation. Posters will be judged with students in attendance (mandatory) by three judges at appointed times during the CAG ASEM. Judges will base their assessment on the following criteria (criteria 1 to 4 being equally weighted):

1. Quality of the Research (clarity of theoretical perspectives, method, sample, findings, discussion, limitations)
2. Merit of the Research (validity of conclusions, relevancy to field of aging, potential for application)
3. Quality of Abstract and Content (coherence, logical flow, grammar, spelling, concise abstract)
4. Demonstrated Understanding of the Student (recognition of limits of the study, familiar with research context)
5. Special Merit marks will be awarded for innovative, novel research projects.

The winners will be announced at the Saturday morning Keynote Session on December 4, 2010, which all candidates are expected to attend. Awards will be presented by the Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Aging and the Director of the Quebec Network for Research on Aging at which time photographs will be taken.

To enter the competition, you must submit an abstract to the general CAG Call for Abstracts noting the formats for posters, before May 31st, 2010. Please indicate your category: Master; Ph.D.; or Post Doctoral on the form.

If you have any questions about submitting a poster application through the CAG Call for Abstracts please contact the CAG head office at contact@cagacg.ca or (416) 978-7977.

If you have questions about the poster competition itself, please feel free to contact Dr. Susan Crawford at the Institute of Aging - susanmc@interchange.ubc.ca or (604) 822-9075 or Dr. Pierrette Gaudreau, at the Quebec Network for Research on Aging info@rqrv.com