Highlights from the 2019 Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium

Valerie Smith, Ph.D. candidate in kinesiology

The ninethannual Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium included research from disciplines across Wayne State's schools and colleges with over 150 poster presentations from postdoctoral scholars, doctoral and master's students. The Graduate School awarded $10,000 celebrating excellent poster presentations and Three-Minute Thesis competitors. Judges consisted of a dedicated group of faculty advisors, postdoctoral scholars and doctoral students who volunteered their time to evaluate and respond to the work of their students and colleagues. See the full list of award winners.

Gnanada Joshi

A panel of distinguished alumni was invited to discuss their own graduate student experiences and career paths, offering advice and encouragement. Panelists included: Chuck Jackson, earned a Ph.D. in sociology and is president of Community Social Services of Wayne County; Casandra Ulbrich, earned a Ph.D. in communication and is president of the State Board of Education; Marsha Parker, earned a Ph.D. in instructional technology and design and is a learning and development leader at Ford Motor Company; and Gnanada Joshi, earned a Ph.D. in biology and is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Detroit Mercy.

This was the fourth annual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition with nine presenters nominated by their school, college or department. A panel of judges from across campus and the broader community evaluated the presenters' ability to convey their research in three minutes with one compelling visual slide. The first place award winner was Deena Damschroder, a Ph.D. student in physiology and People's Choice was Erin Perry, a Ph.D. student in communication. Deena will be Wayne State's representative at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) meeting with a travel grant from the Graduate School.

As part of the Graduate School's micro-credentialing program, qualifying presenters received digital badges for oral presentation skills, poster design and 3MT.

Visiting sholars (L-R): David, Marrianne, Caitlin,
"'Thomas, and De'Ericka

For the first time, the Graduate School invited five graduate student admits as part of its new recruitment initative, the Research Symposium Scholar Visit. The fully-funded program is designed to recruit outstanding underserved and underrepresented students from campus, in-state, and nationally. The participants were nominated by their departments and included: David Criss from Michigan; Marrianne Smith from Texas; Caitlin Crutcher from Michigan; Thomas Goins from North Carolina; and De'Ericka Bertram from Georgia.

Read more about the 2019 Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium

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