March 3, 2017

Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium to be held March 8

The Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium on March 8 will mark the 10th annual exhibition of current graduate and postdoctoral research hosted by Wayne State University’s Graduate School.

The event — held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the McGregor Memorial Conference Center and Community Arts Auditorium — will bring together more than 160 researchers and scholars across disciplines including science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM); business; arts and humanities; and social sciences. It is an opportunity for the academic community — faculty, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduate students and visitors — to network, learn and inspire each other while providing graduate students and postdocs with valuable experience presenting their research.

“The diversity of research is remarkable,” said Ambika Mathur, dean of WSU’s Graduate School. “The symposium gives students and faculty a unique window into the research and scholarship of their peers.”

New this year is WSU’s Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) program, which will sponsor a graduate student and postdoctoral scholar business card design competition. When presenting at conferences, it is often useful to have a business card to hand out to potential employers or collaborators. A card will remind these contacts about a conversation and can open the door to further contact. This contest aims to encourage and prepare students to be ready for these opportunities. It is open to all graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Up to three winners will be selected to receive a $25 gift card for their design. See the Graduate School website for helpful tips on designing a card.

In addition to poster presentations in the morning and afternoon sessions, this year’s symposium will include a Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Ph.D. and master’s students who have been nominated by their departments will have three minutes to present a compelling presentation on their thesis and its significance. 3MT challenges students to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries so they can be presented concisely to a non-specialist audience. In addition to first, second and third place winners selected by a judging panel, the audience will vote on the People’s Choice prize for the most convincing 3MT presentation. The first place winner will go on to compete at the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools’ 3MT competition as part of the MAGS annual meeting in Indianapolis this April.

The schedule is as follows:

  • Poster session #1: 9 to 11 a.m.
  • Poster session #2: 12:30 to 2 p.m.
  • 3MT competition: 2 to 3 p.m.

The symposium will conclude with an awards ceremony in the Community Arts Auditorium at 3:30 p.m. Please join in celebrating the accomplishments of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars at Wayne State. Please RSVP for this event.

See the Graduate School website for more details. For questions, contact gradschool@wayne.edu.

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