The poster sessions will again provide the best venue for discussions and exchange of scientific information. To promote this interaction, posters will be left up for the en-tire week, and like last year, poster sessions will be held in the late afternoon and accompanied by snacks and bever-ages. We encourage you to consider submitting posters, and especially look forward to increased student participa-tion through this mechanism.

Papers will be assigned by the Program Committee to either a platform or poster presentation, unless "prefer poster" is specified on the Author Data 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. Poster assignments will include which day of the conference the poster will be presented (Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday). The criteria for assignment of pa-pers to platform or poster include the nature and size of the session and the number of simultaneous sessions and in no way reflect the quality of the contribution.

Each Poster will be allocated a 92-in. wide by 46-in. high display area. A 12-in. 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 simply to 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 author's 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 inter-net presentations may be shown in the Computer Workshop area with the permission of the Computer Workshop coor-dinator. Authors with videotape data are strongly advised to seek a platform presentation. Authors must provide their own male velcro hooks or push pins for mounting.

All posters will be displayed Monday morning through Wednesday evening. Poster presenters must remain at their poster on their assigned day between 3:30 and 5:00 pm.

This is your avenue for presenting results obtained after the February 15th submission deadline. Because space may be limited, we cannot guarantee acceptance of these contributions, but will attempt to accommodate as many as possible.

Late breaking posters should be prepared, displayed, and attended according to these same instructions.

Contact the Program Chair, Phone: 1-(803) 733-3392; Fax 1-(803) 733-1533, EMail: price@med.sc.edu

NOTE: All posters must be available from Monday through Wednesday. 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.

Diatome Awards (sponsored by Diatome U.S.) are presented for the posters illustrating the best use of diamond-knife ultramicrotomy in either the biological or physical sciences. First prize is a one-week, all-expense-paid trip to Switzerland for two. Second and third prizes are Swiss watches.

MSA Traveling Poster Exhibit Awards for the ten best posters (5 physical, 5 biological) as determined by a panel of judges chosen by the MSA Education Committee. These posters are sent around the country to local society meetings throughout the year under the coordination of the MSA Traveling Exhibit Chairperson. In order for your poster to be considered, it must fit into the shipping cases. The guideline for this is that each individual board must be less than 28 x 46 inches. One-piece roll-up posters are acceptable. If your poster is accepted, you may leave it at the meeting with the Traveling Exhibit Chairperson or ship it to them after the meeting. In either case, a drawing of the poster layout should be included. So that photos can be taken and arrangements made for the poster to join the Traveling Exhibit, poster winners or designee should be at their poster at a time Wednesday afternoon which will be announced in the meeting Daily Newsletter. These awards are sponsored by the MSA Education Committee.