Thirty-seven graduate students selected from the Graduate Student Showcase will have only three minutes to explain their research and scholarly projects as part of the new Vice President for Research Fellowship Challenge Competition. The prize is a spot in the inaugural VPR Fellowship Program.
The competition will be held Feb. 15 noon-5 p.m. in the Lory Student Center Longs Peak room. Presentations will include graduate research projects from across the university and a wide spectrum of fields, including chemical and biological engineering, atmospheric sciences, history, chemistry, microbiology, sociology, agriculture and psychology. The public is invited to attend.
Winners become inaugural VPR fellows
Twelve winners will be chosen from the competition and invited to become the inaugural VPR Fellowship Program cohort. Fellows will be eligible to receive up to $4,000 in scholarship and travel support as well as opportunities to participate in professional development workshops, mentorship, leadership and engagement opportunities over the 2016-17 academic year.
This new initiative was created by the Office of the Vice President for Research to support excellence in graduate research and scholarly works and to promote cross-college and cross-department collaborations.
Recognizing ‘outstanding creativity’
“With the new VPR Fellows initiative, we seek to recognize the outstanding creativity and innovation of CSU’s graduate students from across the university,” said Alan Rudolph, vice president for research. “The program will also provide opportunities for exceptional graduate students to diversify their networks and develop interdisciplinary professional connections, helping to prepare future leaders for an increasingly interdisciplinary, collaborative and global job market.”
Inspired by an international competition called the Three Minute Thesis, the VPR Fellowship Challenge Competition asks graduate students to explain their research or scholarly projects to the general public with the use of no more than one static PowerPoint slide. A diverse panel of community, industry, university administration and faculty leaders will judge the presentations.
