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The University of North Georgia (Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û) will host its inaugural virtual Graduate Student Research Symposium (GSRS) from April 12-13. It will serve as another milestone in Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û's growth in graduate programs and research. for the free event is available via Zoom. Students may join the conference as presenters or attendees. 

To accommodate the schedules of the graduate students, most of whom are working professionals, the conference will run from 1-8 p.m. April 12 and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 13.  

GSRS offers three presentation formats, with due by March 1: 

• Research-based presentation: A presentation of 20-25 minutes, with time for a question-and-answer session, where presenters may share information on their empirical research, from any stage of the research process.
• Research literature presentation: A presentation of 20-25 minutes, with time for a question-and-answer session, where presenters may share information on a topic explored through scholarly and research literature.
• From the field presentation: A 10-minute presentation that should engage participants in activities that offer insight, practice or instruction relevant to the topics while engaged in practicums, internships, clinical experiences, case studies, and similar experiences.

Dr. Katherine Adams, associate professor and program coordinator of the Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership and Practice (Ed.D.), is leading the symposium committee along with Dr. Timothy Hayes and Dr. Ryan Hipp. The group is aiming to help Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û's graduate students, most of whose programs are online, to gain conference experience.  

"We want our students to be as competitive leaving Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û as any other students at an R1 or traditional, in-person students," Adams said.  

Anna Holcomb, director of retention and completion initiatives at Georgia Tech, is in her third and final year of the Ed.D. program at Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û. The Atlanta, Georgia, resident took part in the GSRS pilot in spring 2023 and is hopeful to be able to take part in the inaugural event this year. In 2023, she shared her research about the impact of mentors on the sense of belonging for freshman engineering students both in general and in their specific academic programs.   

Holcomb said the GSRS is "approachable" for graduate students and that Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û faculty help align assignments in a way that encourages symposium participation. 

"The symposium really offered an avenue to engage in a scholarly community in a way that you might at a larger national conference," Holcomb said. "Then I took my research to a national conference. The GSRS was a valuable opportunity to test my presentation before taking it to a wider audience." 

Justin Gaines, a Chattanooga, Tennessee, resident pursuing a Ph.D. in criminal justice with a concentration in intelligence, serves as president of the Graduate Student Senate at Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û. He encourages other graduate students to present or attend the virtual conference.  

"The purpose is to showcase our students' research," Gaines said. "We want them to let everyone else know about the work they're doing." 

Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û will also be hosting a couple of workshops in the lead-up to the symposium to help students prepare for how to present their research. 

Hipp, assistant professor and program director of the Master of Science in athletic training, said the GSRS is a vital component of a well-rounded graduate degree experience.  

"There is no substitute for getting in front of people and presenting something you have created," Hipp said.