Volunteer judges are being sought for the 30th Annual
Graduate Research Symposium, which will take place on
Friday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kent Student
Center.

The 30th Annual Graduate Research Symposium will be held on Friday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Kent Student Center. Hosted by the Graduate Student Senate, the symposium is one of the largest research events that takes place on the Kent Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

This year’s event will feature oral and poster presentations, a keynote address by Kent State University President Beverly Warren and an awards luncheon with monetary prizes given to the best presentation in each category.

For the past 30 years, the Graduate Research Symposium has given graduate students the opportunity to gain experience presenting in an academic setting, receive interdisciplinary feedback regarding their work, network with faculty and peers and earn a mark of distinction for their résumé.

With student participation growing extensively in the last five years, the need for volunteers is greater than ever.

“With a record number of 310 oral and poster presentations this year — a 30-percent increase from last year — our need for faculty judges is extremely high,” says Scout McCully, chair of the Graduate Research Symposium.

Faculty involvement is essential for the success of the symposium. Faculty members can help support and recognize excellence in graduate student research by attending presentations, serving as judges and encouraging other faculty members to serve as judges. Judges are typically asked to score between eight to 12 posters or five to seven oral presentations.

Oral presentations are scheduled in 15-minute intervals with 10 to 12 minutes assigned for the speaker and two to three minutes allotted for questions and discussion.

Poster presentations are scheduled for a block of time to allow each speaker the opportunity to interact with students, faculty, staff and colleagues as they browse each poster. All judges are invited to attend the awards luncheon.

The symposium celebrates research and scholarship across all disciplines.

“Nearly every academic unit on campus will be represented,” McCully says. “Please consider supporting graduate students from your own department by volunteering a few hours of your time for this rewarding academic service.”

The registration deadline to serve as a judge is March 6.

To register, please complete the judge registration form on the Division of Graduate Studies website at www.kent.edu/graduatestudies/research-symposium.

Any questions regarding the Graduate Research Symposium can be emailed to McCully at smccull5@kent.edu.