Engineering Tracks Presentation Guidelines
Authors of accepted presentations will be allocated 15 minutes in a Back-End Designer, Front-End Designer, Embedded Systems and Software or IP Track session: 13 minutes for the presentation, 1 minute for wrap-up, and 1 minute for Q/A. In addition, presenters are required to present a poster describing their work (see below for poster guidelines) at one of the hour-long poster sessions and be available for the entire hour to discuss their work with interested attendees. This provides an opportunity for extended discussion with interested members of the audience.
Each session is required to submit a video presentation along with their final presentation. This does not replace participation in the event. At least one author must attend and present at the live event.
If you notice an issue with your presentation in the DAC program or need to request a change, please use the change request form.
TIMELINE
- September 29, 2023: Submission site open
- January 16, 2024: Submission deadline
- January 23, 2024: Extended submission deadline
- February 26, 2024: Notification - Accept as presentation, accept as poster, or reject notifications will be emailed to authors.
- March 15, 2024: Confirmation Forms Due - Accepted presentations and posters must submit a confirmation form.
- March 20, 2024 - Speaker registration opens
- April 10, 2024: Registration Deadline - Register using the Engineering Track rate for any presenters
- April 27, 2024: Bio & Draft Poster Due - Submission deadline for draft of final presentations and/or posters and speaker bios (for full talks only). All material will be reviewed by Session Chairs.
- May 7, 2024: Slide Feedback - Deadline for Session Chairs to communicate poster and slide presentation feedback to authors.
- May 21, 2024: Final Slides and Video Due - Deadline for authors to submit final poster and/or presentation slides and video.
PRESENTATION GUIDELINES
The following guidelines should be followed when preparing your final slides for submission:
*Note: The expectation is that the final presentation will expand on the original 6 slide submission presentation.
Guidelines and Template for PPT slides:
- You are required to use the DAC template for all presentations
- ONLY PPT, PPTX, or PDF files are allowed
- Only landscape format may be used
- We do not allow any information in the footer except for the page number. Everything else will just distract from the content of the slides
- Company/University name and/or logo may only appear on the title (first slide) page
- Please note if the presentation guidelines and template are not used in the final pre-recorded video your presentation may be removed from the program.
POSTER GUIDELINES
Engineering Tracks presenters are required to present a poster describing their work (see below for poster guidelines) at one of the hour-long poster sessions and be available for the entire hour to discuss their work with interested attendees. This provides an opportunity for extended discussion with interested members of the audience.
Each author is allocated a 42” tall x 36” wide area for a poster. Poster sessions will run for one hour, and may include 20-30 posters. Poster authors are welcome to distribute additional material to interested attendees at the poster session. Such material can include extended abstracts and whitepapers. Engineering Tracks Presentation authors have the option to print their presentation slides for posting, rather than create an additional poster. These slides must still fit in the designated poster dimensions once assembled.
- One poster board is allocated to each presentation.
- Posters must be mounted using push pins provided by the organizing committee.
- The title of your poster should be done in block letters which are AT LEAST 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) high.
- All text must be easily readable from a distance of 1 to 2 meters. Make the lettering at least 1 cm high, smaller lettering will not be legible from a distance of 1 to 2 meters.
- All graphs and charts should be AT LEAST 25 X 30 cm (approximately 8.5 x 11 inches) or larger.
- It is a good idea to sequentially number your materials in the poster. This will indicate to the viewer a logical progression through your poster.
- Provide an introduction (outline) and a summary or conclusion for your poster.
- Prepare your poster carefully so that it can be used as the basis to explain and answer questions from the viewers.
- Have your business cards available for those who may wish to contact you at a later date.
- Bring along a tablet of blank paper that you may use for a discussion of technical details relating to your poster.
VIDEO GUIDELINES
Each session is required to submit a video presentation along with their final presentation. The pre-recorded video will be used for DAC-TV archives after the event and to be used for Best Presentation Award review process. It is imperative for your video to be submitted on schedule for the Best Presentation Award review process. More information will be provided after the selection of Best Presentation candidates.
- This recording will be 15 minutes. Audio and slides are required, optional to record your webcam as a thumbnail image (consider this in your slide layout)
- All presenters are required to use the DAC 2024 PPT template and to follow slide presentation guidelines above.
- Final video presentation files must be saved as an MP4. We can ONLY accept MP4.
- Each speaker will have access to an "Upload Your Video" stage in the speaker/paper management system beginning April 15.
- Pre-recorded video presentations are due no later than May 21.
- Once the video presentation is uploaded to the secure site there will be no updates or changes.
How to pre-record your presentation:
- Presentations can be recorded using the following applications:
- All pre-recorded video presentations are required horizontal (landscape) orientation.
- The audio source needs to be as close to the microphone in an environment that has little or no other noise or echo.
- Use a headset to record your audio to reduce outside noises and review the instructions on how to produce clear and quality audio.
GOOD CLEAR AUDIO and CLEAR EASY TO READ SLIDES are essential
- Record more than one video for review and practice. Take note of your lighting and audio when reviewing your pre-recorded presentation. It is not uncommon to take more than 2-3 video recordings before the final version.
It is required that you review the best practice guidelines before pre-recording.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Engineering Tracks submission process?
To spare experts from industry the many hours of preparation associated with a regular manuscript submission, Engineering Tracks (Back-End Design, Front-End Design, IP, Embedded Systems and Software) submissions are in the form of a 6-slide PowerPoint presentation. Authors of the highest quality submissions will be invited to present their work in Engineering Tracks sessions at the conference and a poster on the same subject during a poster session. Other authors may also be invited to present a poster during a poster session.
Why Engineering Tracks Tracks? How is it different from the Research Track?
The Engineering Tracks are intended specifically for design engineers. This complements DAC’s strong research focus on algorithms and methodology.
Are Engineering Tracks presentations and posters included in the DAC Proceedings?
No. However, Engineering Tracks posters and/or presentation slides will be made available online if the authors give permission. They will be made available on the DAC website after the conference as a part of the DAC Archive.
Do I have to use a DAC template for my extended abstract?
No. But you are required to follow the submission and formatting guidelines above.
May I add an additional author(s) after submission?
No. All authors should be included at submission.
My company’s legal department hasn’t approved my submission yet. Can the deadline be extended?
No. While we sympathize with your situation (many of us have been there), we have a tight schedule and are unable to accommodate late submissions. If your company permits, you may submit your work for review by the DAC technical program committee without such approval. However, you must obtain appropriate legal, copyright, and any other required permissions well-ahead of the deadline for submission of the final presentation and/or poster, if your submission is accepted for presentation in either format. You will not be able to present any work in a Engineering Tracks session without suitable permission from your company.
Where do I submit?
All submissions will occur electronically through the DAC website. The submission deadline was January 23, 2023 at 5pm PT (USA).
What does an Engineering Tracks presentation entail?
Authors of accepted presentations will be allocated 15 minutes in a Engineering Tracks session: 13 minutes for the presentation, 1 minute for wrap-up, and 1 minute for Q/A. In addition, presenters are required to present a poster describing their work (see below for poster guidelines) at one of the hour-long Engineering Tracks poster sessions and be available for the entire hour to discuss their work with interested attendees. This provides an opportunity for extended discussion with interested members of the audience.
All accepted presentations are expected to submit a video of their presentation in advance of the event. This does not replace participation in the event. At least one author must attend and present at the live event.
What does an Engineering Tracks poster entail?
Each author is allocated a 42” tall x 36” wide area for a poster. Engineering Tracks poster sessions will run for one hour, and may include 20-30 posters. Poster authors are welcome to distribute additional material to interested attendees at the poster session. Such material can include extended abstracts and whitepapers.
All accepted posters are expected to submit a video of their presentation in advance of the event. This does not replace participation in the event. At least one author must attend and present at the live event.
What's the difference between an Engineering Tracks poster and an Engineering Tracks presentation?
Engineering Tracks presentations are oral presentations similar to those in the DAC research track. Engineering Tracks presentations are scheduled in sessions that run parallel to the rest of the DAC program and also include a poster presentation at a Designer Track poster session at the end of the day. If you are selected for a full presentation, you must produce both a slide presentation and a poster for post-session questions and discussion.
Engineering Tracks poster-only presentations must only produce a poster that will be presented during a poster-only session to be held at the end of the day on the exhibit floor for maximum exposure and discussion.
How are Engineering Tracks submissions evaluated?
The Engineering Tracks program committee consists of industry experts that collectively represent years of design and software development experience. A good Engineering Tracks presentation addresses innovative tool use coupled with high-quality results. Extra notes are encouraged to be included in the submission. The considerations used by the program committee in acceptance decisions include:
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Significance of results supported by clear, measurable criteria, including, but not limited to: improved quality of silicon, improved reuse, decreased design process complexity, and reduced time-to-market.
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Level of innovation in tool use, e.g., utilizing one tool to obtain results that aid another tool, writing scripts to combine tools, user-facing enhancements, intelligent data management. A submission should not mirror the help section in the tool's user manual, but instead address a creative way of using the tool.
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Ability to overcome design challenges such as scalability, integrating IP, and bridging front-end/back-end gaps.
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Validation of the proposed techniques using real designs, case studies, or established benchmarks.
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Discussion of the conceptual limitations of tools and suggestions for future tool improvement. Solid technical contributions should address both the strengths and the weaknesses of the approach.
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Quality of material including writing, illustrations, and organization.
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Product marketing material is inappropriate for the Engineering Tracks topics.
Do the Engineering Tracks tracks have “Best of” awards?
Yes! Best Presentation awards will be selected from each Track. The awards will be based on (a) the quality of the submission, (b) the presentation given at DAC, and (c) the presentation at the poster session. The final selection will be made at the conference by an award committee. The Best Presentation Award will be announced in the DAC general session.
Do Engineering Tracks participants have to register for DAC?
Full DAC conference registrants are automatically allowed to attend Engineering Tracks sessions. In addition, both Engineering Tracks speakers and any participants who want to attend only the Engineering Tracks sessions, Keynotes, and the Exhibit Floor at DAC can do so at a discounted registration rate via the “Engineering Tracks Special” registration package. Registration details will be released shortly
What should my slide presentation look like?
Remember that your slides must be presented in 13 minutes, plus 1 minute for wrap-up. Presenting meaningful content in a short time is challenging and requires careful thought and planning.
My question isn’t answered here! Where can I get an answer?
Please address any unanswered questions to Ambar Sarkar, 61st DAC Engineering Tracks Program Chair
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Accepted Designer Track presentations and posters are NOT included in the DAC proceedings. However, accepted Designer Track submissions (both posters and presentation slides) will be made available on the DAC website after the conference as a part of the DAC Archives (subject to approval from the authors).
- Designer Track submission will be accepted as a 15-minute presentation or presented as a poster in a 60-minute group session.
- Best Presentation awards will be selected from the Designer Track submissions. The awards will be based on (a) the quality of the submission, (b) the presentation given at DAC, and (c) the presentation at the poster session.