Schieffer Showcase

Join us for the 2025 Schieffer Showcase from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in the Moudy South lobby and atrium. Schieffer students will present their creative work, research projects and  compelling stories from the past 24 months.

About the Showcase

The Schieffer College hosts its annual Schieffer Showcase each April on the first floor of Moudy South. Guests are invited to visit with undergraduate and graduate students to learn about their research and creative projects and videos. The Schieffer Research and Professional Development Committee recognizes outstanding projects with cash awards.

2025 Showcase Winners

Who should participate

  • Individuals or groups;
  • of graduate and undergraduate students;
  • who completed a creative work, research project or compelling story in the past 24 months;
  • either in a Schieffer College course or a Schieffer affiliated program (e.g., Student Media, KTCU, ROXO, Student Filmmakers Association);
  • and did not present that work in last year’s Schieffer Showcase.

What to present

Examples of submissions include, but are not limited, to:

  • Research projects (i.e., class research projects, graduate projects, theses, faculty/student collaborations)
  • Honors College or independent study projects
  • Short videos; films; television, radio or Web newscasts; or podcasts
  • News articles or features
  • Public relations material (e.g., press kits, campaigns, cases)
  • Advertising material (e.g., portfolios, campaigns, media plans)
  • Schieffer Media Insights Lab projects

How to participate

  1. Complete the Intent to Participate Form by 5 p.m. Friday, March 14. 
  2. Students will present their work in one of three ways:
  3. Printed posters must be delivered to the Dean’s office in MOUS 207 by noon Friday, April 11. 
  4. The committee will set up tables and posters ahead of the showcase.
  5. Students may be co-authors on more than one poster or project if presenting as a group for at least one of the two presented projects.

See examples of previous projects by undergraduate students and graduate students (right-click or ctrl+click to download PowerPoint file). Email any questions to Charity Robinson, chair of the research and professional development committee.

When to present

The Schieffer Showcase is from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in the Moudy South lobby and atrium. Participants should arrive no later than 3:45 p.m.

Why participate?

The Schieffer Showcase is an opportunity to showcase your excellent work, engage with others with similar interests and to network. All students who participate will receive a special Schieffer Showcase souvenir. Individuals contributing to each award-winning project will receive a graduation honor cord to mark their achievement.

Additional Details

  • Prepare to speak for no more than three minutes. Practice your presentation. Don’t read a script to your listeners; speak naturally from notes.  Stand up straight, be confident, speak clearly and be as professional as you can.
  • Dress professionally.
  • Look at people and smile. Use your appearance and your demeanor to invite people to step toward you and hear about your project. When they do, introduce yourselves and then speak clearly and compellingly. After all, you could win an award, bestowed by the faculty research and creative activity committee for excellence at the showcase!
  • If you will be presenting with a partner or group, decide how you to split the speaking duties. Are you going to take alternate turns making your short remarks? If that’s what you decide, when you are asked a question, will the other person (who didn’t present) answer it? Your goal is that both of you participate in the conversation about your project.
  • Do not leave early. If there’s a lull in attendance, one member of your pair at a time can step away to check out other projects being presented or have a refreshment.
  • Size, software and printing Instructions
  • Use good written and visual communication:
    • You’re designing on a big scale – a poster is not a research paper.
    • A poster should be bold and visually inviting. Use color and visual elements to gain attention.  Then balance those elements with text that demonstrates your conclusions, so you show your audience there is substance to the project.
    • Consider short, to-the-point bullet points with key findings in 24-point text.
  • Include a short main headline or title. You may add a sub-heading. Try for something more insightful than “Ethical profile project: An interview with Such-And-So.”  Reflect the substance of your interview findings about ethics.
  • Include your names, your majors and the title of the course.
  • Organize from left to right (horizontal) or top to bottom (vertical) in the same way you’d organize a page for a reader. Would organizing the content in boxes or columns help?
    • Summarize how you gathered the information you’re presenting.
    • Summarize what you learned.
    • Summarize why it matters what you learned.
  • Visual elements
    • Use high-resolution visual elements in ways that invite attention. Low-resolution images, photos or graphics may become grainy when enlarged to poster size.
    • Use correct logos. You can read how to properly use TCU logos at brand.tcu.edu.
    • Use copyrighted and trademarked photos, logos and graphics correctly.  Be sure you understand the legal principle of one-time fair use of trademarks and copyrights.
  • Video presentations should include a scoped clip of the completed work that is no longer than two minutes.  For audio only presentations, consider creating a visual soundbite to accompany the audio file.
  • Download your file and don’t rely on streaming in order to play back your clip in case there are any Wi-Fi connection issues.
  • Presenters are responsible for providing all materials needed for screening their video and/or audio clips on a laptop or tablet device.  Bring your laptop and any necessary cable cords/adapters to the event. Students may provide headphones. We will have tables available for you to display your presentation.
  • Ensure your display is playing back at full brightness, in order to provide the best viewing experience.
  • Be sure to introduce your presentation and provide context as to what the viewer is seeing or hearing, prior to inviting them to play your clip.
  • Students will present in the Schieffer Media Insights Lab (MOUS 165)
  • Bring a laptop or borrow a PC from the lab to access the appropriate software and present on one of the lab’s large screens.
  • Tell a three-minute story by showcasing key data within the social media listening software or work from a short PPT presentation that highlights important data and insights. The presentation should take no longer than three minutes.