T he  American Vacuum Society (AVS)  is excited to announce the AVS 2020 International Twitter Poster Competition, a new online venue to share your research with a global audience. We hope you will join us to disseminate your latest findings, connect with your research community, and meet new colleagues.
How Does This Benefit Me Professionally?
While this online format is distinct from traditional, in-person poster sessions, and will require changes to standard poster designs, the professional benefits are numerous. The audience for a well-crafted poster can be significant, potentially exceeding that at traditional conferences by orders-of-magnitude. This event is a great opportunity to hone your online “presentation” skills. As the world continues to leverage online communication tools, this skill will be increasingly crucial. Competition winners will also be promoted through AVS.
Who Should Attend?
Scientists and engineers working in any country, in any of the  core technical domains of the AVS , and at any career level – undergraduate through senior scientist. You do not need to be a member of the AVS to participate.
Why Twitter?
Twitter offers a platform for anyone, anywhere in the world, to engage with their colleagues with little more than a computer or smartphone and internet connection. As opposed to webinars, which are largely one-way learning experiences, Twitter enables back-and-forth communication among poster presenters, judges, and anyone interested in your findings.
Will There Be Awards?
Yes! The first-place winner in each of the technical and career categories will be awarded $500. All winners will also be recognized via: (1) Twitter and LinkedIn as well as (2) news stories on the AVS web page and in our monthly electronic newsletter Beneath the AVS Surface.
Procedures
The poster competition will be held July 8, 2020. At the beginning, participants will tweet a high-resolution image of their poster to their personal Twitter account. Their tweet must include the hashtag #AVSPosters2020 and one hashtag from each of the technical and career categories. Posters will be judged by at least 3 judges, who will collaboratively select first, second, and third place winners. All winners will be recognized via: (1) Twitter and LinkedIn as well as (2) news stories on the AVS web page and in  Beneath the AVS Surface . The first-place winner in each of the technical and career categories will be awarded $500. Participants can only win in one category. Only categories receiving at least 10 posters will be eligible for prize money.
Registration
Cost:
  • AVS Platinum Member: $5.00
  • Non-Member: $10.00
Organizing Committee
  • Michael Filler, AVS Divisions & Groups Chair, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Vincent Smentkowski, AVS Chapters Co-Chair, General Electric-Research
  • Kateryna Artyushkova, AVS Chapters Co-Chair, Physical Electronics Inc.
  • Rachael Farber, The University of Chicago
  • Ann Lii-Rosales, University of Colorado-Boulder