Graduate Research Symposium to be held July 23

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The fifth annual Graduate Research and Creativity Symposium at Rochester Institute of Technology has been described by organizers as a showcase displaying the work of RIT students who are achieving the top degrees in their fields of study. And organizers say that this year’s theme, Picking Up S.T.E.A.M.—Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics—reinforces the notion that the event represents a cross section of RIT disciplines.

The symposium—9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 23—will feature morning and afternoon oral and poster presentations in Louise M. Slaughter Hall on the RIT campus, and is free and open to the public.

A broad variety of research topics will be covered including how the Federal Reserve controls the stock market, binary black holes, fuel-cell performance, identity and feminism, an analysis of the “American dream,” and an examination of Rochester-area pawn shops, to name a few. The event will also feature several art exhibits.

“Often, graduate students face unique challenges at school and after graduation,” says Cyprian Tayrien, graduate student of computer science and chair of the Graduate Research and Creativity Symposium. “We are expected to possess the skills required to be leaders in our chosen fields, to communicate across disciplines, to secure funding for our research and creative projects, and to network with other professionals and academics. It is the aim of the Graduate Research and Creativity Symposium to provide these experiences to RIT’s graduate student population through a day of presentations and an awards ceremony where the audience-chosen favorites receive financial awards made possible by our sponsors.”

Margaret Bailey, professor of mechanical engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering and faculty associate to the provost for female faculty, will deliver the keynote address at noon. Bailey, principal investigator for RIT’s National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant Connect@RIT, is the founding executive director for the nationally recognized women in engineering program WE@RIT. She teaches courses and conducts research related to thermodynamics, engineering and public policy, engineering education, and gender in engineering and science. She is co-author of the textbook Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics, which is used worldwide at more than 250 institutions.

The symposium is sponsored by RIT’s Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies.