In the largest Graduate Student Showcase to date, more than 350 graduate students from all eight Colorado State University colleges are set to showcase their scholarship during an all-day conference on Tuesday, November 15.

The Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President for Research host the conference celebrating research, creativity and entrepreneurship. In addition to providing an arena for interdisciplinary collaboration, the GradShow offers graduate students the opportunity to hone their conference and presentation skills, while building their resumes. Accolades and nearly $17,000 in cash prizes from generous award sponsors across campus will be presented at the awards reception.

The campus community is invited to attend the graduate student presentations taking place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Lory Student Center Grand Ballroom. Poster presentations, live performances and Visual Arts presentations are all showcased.

Diverse disciplines

The GradShow aims to encourage connection and collaboration among all graduate students at Colorado State University. Graduate students present their scholarship alongside fellow students from more than 90 graduate programs and more than 115 judges from across the campus will judge the presentations. In the spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration, judging assignments are made on a random basis to give students the opportunity to hone their ability to communicate with audiences outside their own disciplines. The mingling of minds from different disciplines in this environment is specifically designed to further spark innovation and encourage collaborations.

“The GradShow is a wonderful opportunity to experience the passion, innovation, and energy of graduate students and those across the campus,” said Jodie Redditi Hanzlik, dean of the Graduate School. “It is also an opportunity to acknowledge the strength of our graduate programs and specifically, our faculty, who are responsible for creating a learning environment that provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to produce such scholarship.”

Professional development, cash prizes

In addition to providing an arena for interdisciplinary collaboration, the GradShow provides both presenters and non-presenters with professional development opportunities. Participants are offered the opportunity to build a variety of presentation skills and encouraged to use the experience to excel at national conferences.