Upcoming Graduate School events to highlight diverse research by graduate students

Upcoming events hosted by GVSU’s Graduate School will showcase the diverse research conducted by graduate students. 

The Graduate School Citations for Academic Excellence will take place on Friday, April 14 in Loosemore Auditorium. The ceremony, co-hosted by the Graduate Student Association, recognizes outstanding academic achievement of graduate students. Awards will include the Academic Excellence in a Degree Program Award, Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award, Outstanding Final Project Award, Award for Excellence in Sustainability and more. 

The winner of this year’s Outstanding Final Project Award is Karina White, a science teacher at Jenison High School, for her project “Long-term monitoring of Grand Ravines Park restoration: An authentic research opportunity for Jenison High School students and beyond." 

Having been a teacher for 19 years, White says the research has played a vital role in not only her educational experience, but that of her students as well. “My project ended up being a long-term monitoring field study on the plants in a restored area at Grand Ravine park. My students and I were able to collect data together, analyze it back at school, and will soon present it to the parks staff.

“There were a few times when we were collecting data, and I had some of my current students, former students, grad school professors, Ottawa County parks staff, and my family, all out in the beautiful prairie of Grand Ravines north," White added. “It was the coolest collision of some of the parts of my life, and even cooler to see them interact and learn from each other.” 

In addition to the Citations for Academic Excellence, the Graduate Showcase will take place on Tuesday, April 18, and will feature graduate poster presentations on a wide variety of research and scholarly activities from all disciplines. 

One student who will be presenting at the showcase is Abena Pinamang, an international student pursuing a Master of Science in criminal justice. She will present her research project titled “Sexual Minority Students’ Negative Experiences in High School: A Descriptive Study.” Pinamang says she was encouraged to research negative experiences faced by LGBTQ youth after taking an LGBTQ issues course early in her program. 

“I realized that LGBTQ youth lack support from both the family and educational institutions I believe this study will help policy makers and school administrators design more programs that will provide adequate support for LGBTQ students.”

More information about upcoming events can be found on the Graduate School’s website.