Each year the Society for Range Management hosts competitions for the best oral paper and poster paper presentations at the Masters and Ph.D. levels. Over 100 dedicated judges volunteer their time and expertise to evaluate presentations given at the SRM annual meeting. Thanks to sponsorship by Corteva Agrosciences (when available), individuals with the top two presentations in each category are awarded $200 and $100, respectively

The goals of these competitions are to recognize outstanding presenting skills and to help students improve their presenting skills by providing valueable feedback in the form of evaluation rubrics and written comments. Please visit the links on the left hand side of this page to learn more about the competition or contact us if you have any questions.

Marc Horney
Chair of the Graduate Student Competition Committee

2019 SRM Graduate Student Oral Paper and Poster Competitions Results

(CLICK HERE for photos of the 2019 Graduate Student Awards Recipients)

It is our sincere pleasure to announce the winners of the 2019 SRM Graduate Student Oral Paper and Poster Competitions!

Please join us in congratulating these students on their accomplishments.  We would like to thank and commend all students who participated, and hope to see you at the 2020 SRM meeting in Denver, CO!

Sincerely,
Marc Horney
Chair, SRM Graduate Student Competitions Sub-Committee

MS AND PHD ORAL PAPER COMPETITIONS:

MS Oral Paper Presentation

1st Place:  Adrienne Antonsen, North Dakota State University
“Determining Spatial and Temporal Distributions of Grassland Butterflies through Statewide Monitoring”

2nd Place:  Justin Roemer, Fort Hays State University
“The Purple Plague: Effects of Two Years of Grazing Post Fire on Purple Threeawn”

PhD Oral Paper Presentation

1st Place:  Jasmine Bruno, Colorado State University
“The Landscape of North American Rangeland Social Science: A Systematic Map”

2nd Place:  Kevin Jablonski, Colorado State University
“The Promise and Challenges of Agent‐Based Modeling of Livestock Foraging Behavior”

MS AND PHD POSTER COMPETITIONS:

MS Poster Presentation

1st Place:  Michael Bartmess, Kansas State University
“Re‐Sprouting Shrub Encroachment in the Tallgrass Prairie: Assessing Various Prescribed Fire and Mechanical Management Strategies”

2nd Place:  Samuel Price, University of Idaho
“Methods for Improving Re‐Vegetation Success in the Sagebrush Steppe using Solid Matrix Priming”

PhD Poster Presentation

1st Place:  William Rutherford, University of Arizona
“Shrub Recruitment in Sonoran Grasslands: Grass Utilization is of Little Consequence to Intra‐seasonal Precipitation Variation”

2nd Place:  Jonathan Spiess, North Dakota State University
“A Hailstorm Reduced Forage, Nesting Cover, and Floral Resources in Southwestern North Dakota Grasslands”

The Graduate Student Paper Competition was initiated at the 40th Annual Meeting held in Boise, Idaho in 1986.  Separate contests are held for Master’s and Ph.D. students with $200 awarded for first place and $100 awarded for second place (when sponsorship available).

The student must have conducted the research presented in the oral paper, and the paper must be accepted by the Annual Meeting Committee to be eligible for the competition.  Only one oral paper may be entered each year.  However, students may enter as many oral papers as they wish during their degree programs.  Click here to see the judging sheet (i.e., judging rubric) that judges will use to evaluate your oral presentation.  Papers that are involved in this competition are interspersed among other papers of similar topics during the concurrent technical sessions.

At least three judges will evaluate each paper and points will be assigned based on the criteria listed in the judging rubric.  All oral presentations are podium style with stationary microphone, a laptop computer for Power Point slide presentations at the podium, and digital screen projection.  All speakers must arrive at their session room location at least 45 minutes before the start of their session to load their presentations on the laptop computer provided for their session.  It is the responsibility of the speakers to ensure that their presentations are properly loaded, accessible, and operational prior to the start of their session.

The Graduate Student Poster Competition was initiated at the 56th Annual Meeting held in Casper, Wyoming in 2003.  Separate contests are held for Master’s and Ph.D. students with $200 awarded for first place and $100 awarded for second place (when sponsorship available).

The student must have conducted the research presented in the poster, and the poster must be accepted by the Annual Meeting Committee to be eligible for the competition.  Only one poster may be entered each year.  However, students may enter as many posters as they wish during their degree programs.  Posters are judged on scientific content, organization, and presentation and will be evaluated by 2 or more judges.  Click here to see the judging sheet (i.e., judging rubric) that judges will use to evaluate your poster.  Points are assigned based on the criteria listed in the judging rubric.  Posters enrolled in this competition will be exhibited in the general poster session organized by similar topics.  You can expect judges and other interested viewers to visit your poster during your poster viewing time.  The student author must be present during the designated viewing time to be available for questions.  Note that half of the points are dedicated to content, the other half to design, display, and interaction.  Content refers to the rationale, ideas, and logic used to develop the research projects, the use of sound scientific principles and techniques, results, and discussion.

Poster Design and Display refers to the visual appeal and effectiveness of the poster.  The poster should be uncluttered, easy to read, and easy to understand without interpretation by the author.  Tables and figures should be well-designed, photographs clear, and legends helpful.  All visual aids should be appropriate in that they add to the interpretation of the research, and should be referenced in the poster text.  Personal Interaction evaluates the student’s ability to communicate effectively, exhibit confidence and enthusiasm for their work, and the ability to address questions appropriately, demonstrating knowledge and insight about the topic.