On May 16, the University Center's dining room will be transformed from a place of tablecloths and silver into an innovation arena as graduate students share their research in the form of posters and oral presentations.
It's all part of the Graduate Research Symposium, an annual event that packs the rooms and spills onto the lanai and any other space large enough for a presentation.
Members of the local and campus community are invited to drop by from 2 to 5 p.m. to look over the posters, listen to talks, and ask students questions about their projects.
The event showcases the variety of research under way throughout campus. This year, visitors will have the chance to check out presentations on everything from wireless monitoring of coral reefs to metal-poor stars in the dwarf galaxies around the Milky Way to the politics of obesity.
"We are very excited to host the Fourth Annual Graduate Research Symposium, and we are pleased to announce that we will award the second Denton Prize for most outstanding research presentation at the event," said Graduate Studies Dean Lisa Sloan.
The $500 prize recognizes graduate research excellence and pays tribute to Chancellor Denice Denton, who was an enthusiastic supporter of this graduate student event.
Three cash prizes of $100 to $200 each will be awarded to participants from each academic division for the best presentation.
Research is expected to be shown in artwork displays, oral presentations, laptop demonstrations, and 3-D visual displays or live presentations, as well as through posters.
In addition to recognizing and promoting outstanding and diverse research, the event is an opportunity for graduate students to gather as part of the larger UCSC graduate community.
The structure of the event--in which a chemistry poster and a sociology poster could be displayed side by side--helps the students become better acquainted with the scope of graduate research taking place throughout the UCSC campus.
Parking will be available in the lot by the barn at the campus entrance, with free shuttles up to the University Center.
For more information and a list of all the student research projects to be exhibited, visit the Graduate Research Symposium page.
