Poster Session
The Poster Session features posters on various aging-related topics dealing with psychosocial, biomedical, and clinical/applied research. Posters are presented by faculty, research scientists, postdocs, students, and others at UW-Madison.
The application for the Poster Session and/or the New Investigator Award automatically registers applicants for the IOA Annual Colloquium. Applicants’ poster abstracts undergo a scientific review and an acceptance process.
New Investigator Awards
Awards are given to UW–Madison students or advanced trainees to recognize outstanding achievement in aging or life course studies. Winners receive a monetary award and their research is showcased in the event’s Poster Session.
Award Eligibility & Rules:
- All UW–Madison students or advanced trainees may apply (including undergraduates; graduate and medical students; postgraduate trainees; and postdoctoral fellows, trainees, and research associates). Faculty/staff are not eligible for the award.
- Previous winners are not eligible to apply.
- Work must be performed within the previous two academic years.
- Work must be substantially the applicant’s own research.
- Applicants must provide a letter of recommendation from their faculty advisor/mentor. It should:
- include the statement “I can confirm that the work is substantially the applicant’s own” or something equivalent
- be on letterhead with a handwritten signature.
- Award selections are made by a team of IOA affiliates, based on:
- importance/significance of the work to aging or life course studies
- quality of the research
- accessibility of the work to a general audience
- strength of the letter of recommendation.
- Applicant must be available to attend the IOA Annual Colloquium in order to present their work in poster format and be available for the award presentation.
2025 New Investigator Award Winner
The 2025 winner received $500 awards and their research showcased in the event’s Poster Session.
New Investigator Award Winner: Gina Lee
Poster Title: Sibling disconnectedness in midlife and cognitive functioning in later life: Is loneliness an explanatory factor?

2024 New Investigator Award Winners:
2024 winners received $500 awards and their research was showcased in the event’s Poster Session.
Biological/Biomedical Research Award: Bailey Knopf
Poster Title: Sex-dependent metabolic responses to protein restriction are ablated by ovariectomy
Clinical/Applied Research Award: Ejura Salihu
Poster Title: Acceptability of inclusive Tai Chi Prime in Latinx and African American/Black communities
Psychosocial Research Award: Mingtong Liu
Poster Title: The association of tau and amyloid levels with representational similarity in the amygdala’s reactivity to and recovery from negative stimuli in individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s disease
