Research Expo Highlights UMaine Graduate Student Work
Contact: Kurt Klappenbach at kurt.klappenbach@umit.maine.edu
ORONO — The University of Maine’s 2011 GradExpo (Graduate Academic Exposition) scheduled April 21-22 at the Wells Conference Center will exhibit a wide range of physical and natural sciences, technology, social science and humanities research being done at advanced levels at the university.
The annual two-day showcase for students across the spectrum of graduate programs at UMaine provides a platform for them to display and explain the fruit of their explorations and research, in addition to their innovations and creations.
“The GradExpo has been revitalized this year,” says Kurt Klappenbach, vice-president of the Graduate Student Government (GSG) and chief organizer of this year’s expo. “I and Graduate Student Government have been working very hard to make the new GradExpo a major drawing power to the University of Maine campus.”
Participant entries may consist of an academic poster presentation, art installation or performance, or oral presentation. This year the event includes PechaKucha for those who wish to try an exciting new way of presenting information, according to Klappenbach.
On Thursday, April 22, invited commercial exhibitors — Maine companies or companies with a Maine presence — will exhibit. They are companies that that have a partnership in research on campus, actively hire UMaine graduate students, or both. Some of the companies that have accepted include Boeing, PenBay, VWR, CES, Lonza, Thermo, Lonza, Pierce and KPL.
The GradExpo provides a forum for graduate students, especially those new to academia, to practice the fine art of displaying and defending the efforts of their research and inquiries. From the entry process, to the preparation of abstracts, to actually preparing and presenting an academic poster, paper, art installation and, this year, PechaKucha, they go through a formal judging procedure and could win one of more than $4,000 in awards for innovation and academic excellence.
“The GSG sees the GradExpo as an excellent way to promote graduate studies and their utility to the University of Maine,” Klappenbach says. “We are actively encouraging undergraduates – future graduate students – to see just what it is we do here at the university and in the process, hopefully pique their interest in graduate studies.”
Maine’s U.S. Senators and Representatives, their state of Maine counterparts and Gov. Paul LePage have been invited to attend and see what the university’s graduate population has accomplished. University of Maine undergraduates and students from all Maine institutes of higher education also are invited. Klappenbach says the event is a good way to see what a vital interest graduate education plays in the university system and to the economy of the State of Maine.
“Commercial exhibitors are invited to not only benefit the graduating students, but, in addition, to become aware of the entire scope of our graduate programs,” he adds.