Papers will be assigned by the Program Committee to either a platform or poster presentation, unless "prefer poster" is specified on the Author Data Entry form, in which case that preference will be honored. Corresponding authors will be notified of this assignment after the program has been finalized in April. The assignment will include which day of the conference the poster will be presented (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday). The criteria for assignment of the papers include the nature and size of the session and the number of simultaneous sessions an in no way reflects the quality of the contribution.

Each Poster will be allocated a 92" wide by 46" high display area. A 12" high strip at the top should contain the title of the paper, and the name and affiliation of the authors. Authors are advised that it is not appropriate to simply attach a copy of the paper to the display board, just as it would not be appropriate simply to read the paper during the platform presentation. The poster should have large legible text and figures, and describe the results in a manner that would be clear to a reader in the authors absence.

Audio/Visual equipment for a poster presentation will require exceptional justification. Stereo images may be mounted and presented for stereo viewing using viewers provided by the author. Computer animations and live internet presentations may be shown in the Computer workshop area with the permission of the computer workshop coordinator. Authors with videotape data are strongly advised to seek a platform presentation. Authors must provide their own male or velcro hook or push pins for mounting.

Authors will remain at their posters between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm on their assigned day. Posters shall be hung each day and remain for that day only.

NOTE - NEW FOR THIS YEAR. To be eligible for the MSA Poster Awards, MSA Student Poster Awards, Diatome Awards, and MSA Traveling Poster Exhibit Awards, your poster must be available until Wednesday evening. Each day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, a group of posters will be chosen as finalists. If your poster is chosen, it should be moved to a separate exhibit room which will be designated at the meeting. These posters will remain on display there until the winners are selected from the finalists.

MSA Poster Awards will be presented for the best posters in the categories of :

• Advances in Instrumentation & Techniques
• Applications of Microscopy & Microanalysis - Biological
• Applications of Microscopy & Microanalysis - Physical

First Prize $200, Second Prize $100. Prizes will be awarded in each category.

MSA Student Poster Awards will be presented for the best posters in each category (see above). To be considered for the Student Poster Awards, the first author on the poster must be a student. When completing the Data Form, please identify your paper as "Student Poster" so that you will be eligible for the Student Poster Award Program. First Prize $200, Second Prize $100. Prizes will be awarded in each category.