Faculty of Engineering Graduate Research Symposium committee members Somaye Nasr, Aida Valvicius, Quinn Barber and Mohamed Ghuzi say there are many rewards to participating in the annual research symposium.
(Edmonton) A faculty-wide symposium on graduate student research is offering professional development, opportunities to deliver presentations, and a chance to discover potential research partners.
Entering its seventh year, the Faculty of Engineering Graduate Research Symposium is running June 22 and 23, and organizers are already encouraging registration and asking for abstracts to be submitted.
Organizing committee chair Aida Valevicius says the symposium provides practical education for graduate students that helps them during their studies and beyond graduation.
"It's a two-day event and the first day is workshops. They cover a range of subjects like how to find jobs in a soft market, a MATLAB workshop, and a panel discussion on intellectual property," said Valevicius, who is working on her PhD in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
The workshop day wraps up with a mixer where current graduate students can mingle with alumni and industry representatives, she said, adding that a Research Elevator Pitch competition being held over both days will be informative and help students communicate technical information to non-technical audiences.
Register for the Research Elevator Pitch competition
Committee members volunteering to organize the event say their own experiences at the FEGRS symposium have been positive.
"It gives you a chance to meet people doing research in different areas and you might find that your research overlaps with someone else's," said committee member Somaye Nasr. "It's a place where you can get help and advice and when you see the research other people are doing here it helps you start to think outside of the box."
The outcome, organizers agree, is that graduate students are able to see a big picture of research being conducted across the faculty, and come to an appreciation of what they are a part of.
"I like the way it exposes you to different research areas," adds committee member Mohamed Ghuzi, a chemical engineering master's student.
Quinn Barber, a second-year master's student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, says the symposium is a great place to learn about how to present at conferences-and to figure out how to get the most of conferences before leaving campus to attend one.
"It's a great event for everyone, but especially if it's your first conference setting," he said.
Importantly, presenting at the symposium can contribute to your grades.
Delivering podium presentations or poster presentations also helps prepare students for their own thesis presentations and sharpens skills they'll need in the professional world.