The Union will be home to a showcase for post-doctoral students. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Athena Howell placed first in the biological sciences category for her research presentation on how those suffering from depression perceive themselves compared to others. She said the opportunity to present at the 2022 Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research Forum was “empowering.”
Like Howell, a fifth-year neuroscience doctoral student and graduate research associate, almost 200 graduates and postdoctoral presenters from different fields will have the chance to share their work Friday at the 37th-annual forum at the Ohio Union.
“It was such an empowering moment because I had done this to say, ‘I’m going to take a little bit of control of what I’m doing. This is for me to show that I can,’” Howell said.
Katie Conner, fifth-year doctoral student in linguistics and vice president of the Council of Graduate Students, said the forum encourages students to speak on their research with those outside their field.
“Being able to diffuse that knowledge and information and make a positive impact, whether it be large or small, is really important,” Conner said.
According to the Council of Graduate Students’ website, participants can submit a proposal to one of the multiple academic categories — including biological sciences, humanities, business and engineering. Each category consists of oral and poster presentation sessions.
Conner said in addition to pushing presenters outside of their disciplines, the forum helps participants develop professional skills, such as communicating research to a general audience.
“How do you actually talk about your research to a generalized audience? How do you make it relevant?” Conner said. “How do you explain things without using jargon? And so, it’s a skill that lots of scholars find really useful, but you don’t necessarily get to practice all the time.”
Conner said the event will consist of three-minute poster presentations and 12-minute oral presentations with additional time for questions. The top-three speakers in each category are eligible to receive prize money. Cash prizes, totaling more than $14,000, will be awarded to the top-judged presentations in each academic area, according to the event’s website.
Conner said the forum is open to everyone and offers a unique opportunity to see research at the graduate level.
“One of my favorite things is actually getting to see other people’s research and hearing about the other cool things that they’re doing,” Conner said. “It’s one of the same reasons that I love the Council of Graduate Students, because I get to learn about really cool stuff that I wouldn’t get to have contact with otherwise.”
Howell said she encourages graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to “go for it” and apply in the future.
“It’s not going to hurt you,” Howell said. “The experience will be a good experience regardless, and there’s potential for great feedback.”
The forum will be from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and open to the public.
