Announcing:
THE 17TH ANNUAL GRADUATE ACADEMIC CONFERENCE
Conference Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025 – 9AM-5PM Location: MSU Union
“Bridging Disciplines: Innovation Across Academic Frontiers”
Stay tuned here for further information in the coming weeks!
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What is the GAC?
The GAC is a forum for graduate students to gain experience communicating their research to a non-specialized audience. Our adjudicators are MSU Alums (many graduate school alums!) with wide-ranging professional backgrounds who provide feedback that can help students fine tune their presentation skills.
The annual GAC is the result of hard work and planning by our all-graduate & professional student committee.
As a presenter, you will benefit from constructive feedback that will help you learn to better communicate your research to generalized audiences as you progress in your research. You will also be able to network with your peers across disciplines as well as with your audience of judges and other interested professionals attending the conference! As an attendee, you will be able to view the great work being done by student researchers as well as have access to workshops geared to help all graduate/professional students!
Who is eligible to participate? ALL MSU Graduate & Professional students! Masters/PhD and all professional students – at any point in your program. ALL disciplines. ALL colleges. The GAC is a great place to hone your skills as a communicator and presenter! Communication is a skill that takes practice. The GAC helps students get the practice and provides feedback they need to become better communicators.
Abstract Submission/Registration (click/tap to open section)
Information for Presenters:
Event Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025
Location: MSU Union (2nd & 3rd Floors)
2025 GAC Theme: “Bridging Disciplines: Innovation Across Academic Frontiers“
Deadline to Submit Abstracts: February 1, 2025
Documents & Info Sheets:
Abstract Submission & Conference Registration Forms:
*Note about the Abstract Submission Form: If you are trying to launch the abstract form while already logged in to Chrome (on a gmail account that is not your MSU account), it will not work. You might try copy and pasting the https://bit.ly/25GACABSTRACT into a different browser. Then it should allow you to sign in (make sure to use your MSU Net ID and password – not your non-msu gmail account.). This form is set to only allow MSU/students to submit.
Our 2025 Room Themes:
Sustainable Solutions: This category is dedicated to abstracts that showcase innovative technologies designed to address environmental challenges and promote sustainability. Submissions may cover a range of topics, including renewable energy sources, eco-friendly materials, sustainable manufacturing processes, and advancements in waste reduction and recycling technologies.
Community Engagement & Social Impact: Abstracts in this category could focus on academic research that explores the ways in which communities are engaged and the social impact of such connections. Topics may include community-based projects, partnerships between academic institutions and communities, and the measurable outcomes of community engagement initiatives.
Innovate for Tomorrow: Present your most recent and impactful findings. Whether it’s a breakthrough in medical science, an innovative technological solution, or expanding perspectives in your field, we encourage abstracts that communicate the results and implications of your research.
PRESENTERS – A Recap for Abstract Submission:
- Get your Advisor Consent Form Ready: You will need this to submit with your Abstract (see links above)
- Submit your Abstract (see form link above)
- Also Register to Attend the Conference! We want to make sure to plan for meals, etc. (see links above)
- Please pay the $5.00 Presenter fee after you receive COGS GAC Abstract Acceptance Confirmation email. All those presenting will be asked to pay a $5 Presenter fee. After you submit your abstract, an email confirmation of Abstract Acceptance will be sent that includes a link to pay this fee. (Please allow 5-10 business days before following up if you have not received. It may take us time to review the submissions, especially during winter break.) If payment is not received by the day before the conference, you will not be able to take home any winnings.
- Review Presenter Info Sheets, FAQs and Rubrics. Contact the COGS office with any questions! office@cogs.msu.edu
- Stay tuned to email and this page for updates on Keynote speaker, workshops and other GAC-related activities!
CO-presenters and Non-Presenters: Even if you are NOT presenting, you are welcome to attend the conference to watch your peers’ presentations, attend a workshop, attend our Keynote event and more! There is no charge for any of the events. For co-presenters where your primary presenter has completed the Abstract Submission form – please use this attendee registration form as well to be counted for lunch and workshops!
Please register below:
Room Themes 2025 (click/tap to open section)
| Pedagogical & Research Advancements
This session will focus on either of two key areas: innovations in research tools contributing to knowledge growth or innovative approaches in education and pedagogy aimed at expanding knowledge. For the research aspect, submissions may explore advancements in methodologies and tools that enhance the rigor and efficiency of research across various disciplines. In the realm of education, abstracts could cover new teaching methods, curriculum designs, and educational technologies that not only enrich learning experiences but also actively contribute to the acquisition of knowledge in diverse fields. |
Community Engagement & Social Impact
This session highlights academic research that explores the ways in which communities are engaged and the social impact of such connections. Topics may include community-based projects, partnerships between academic institutions and communities, and the measurable outcomes of community engagement initiatives. |
| Sustainable Solutions
This session focuses on research that showcases innovative technologies designed to address environmental challenges and promote sustainability. Submissions may cover a range of topics, including renewable energy sources, eco-friendly materials, sustainable manufacturing processes, and advancements in waste reduction and recycling technologies. |
Innovate for Tomorrow
This session highlights your most recent and impactful findings. Whether it’s a breakthrough in medical science, an innovative technological solution, or expanding perspectives in your field, we encourage abstracts that communicate the results and implications of your research. |
FAQ & Forms for Speakers and Presenters (click/tap to open section)
FORMS & DOCUMENTS:
CONFERENCE DAY SCHEDULE *(Not yet available)
PRESENTATION / JUDGING SCHEDULE – CLICK HERE! *(Not yet available)
PRESENTATION INFORMATION – Click Here!
RUBRICS for All Presentations – Click Here!
*For Conference Day: Due by February 18, 2025 – UPLOAD Presentation File(s) Here
Presenters should also bring a copy of their presentation slides on a USB drive if unforeseen technological difficulties occur preventing access to the submitted presentation. Presenters should also bring a copy of their presentation slides on a USB drive if unforeseen technological difficulties occur preventing access to the submitted presentation. Presenters should also bring a copy of their presentation slides on a USB drive if unforeseen technological difficulties occur preventing access to the submitted presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do we register as co-presenters? Will we required to submitted separate Abstracts and pay the registration fees separately?
If you have co-presenters, please fill out the Conference Registration Form to be counted for the workshops, keynote, meal, and more! You will not need to fill out a separate Abstract Submission Form or pay the Presenter Fee. Only the primary presenter must fill out the Abstract Submission Form and pay the Presenter’s Fee for the group. separately to be counted for the workshops, keynote, meal, and more! However, you do not need to fill out a separate Abstract Submission Form or pay the registration fee separately. Only the primary presenter must fill out the Abstract Submission Form and they can pay the registration fee once for the group.
Can I have multiple submissions?
Yes! You can enter more than one presentation/category. Please submit a separate Abstract Form for each event or presentation you are submitting. (You will only need to pay the $5 once however.)
Can I only attend the conference without presenting? How should I proceed?
Great – yes! Please fill out the Conference Registration Form so that we have your workshop preference and will count you for the meal, if applicable.
Do I need to be an enrolled student to participate?
*Yes. In order to participate as a presenter at this conference, you must be a currently enrolled graduate or professional student at MSU. Please note that in order to win prize funds for the presentation categories, you will need to be enrolled to receive the funds because they are distributed through the office of financial aid as a scholarship award. **If you are a graduate/professional student that is not enrolled in classes Spring25 semester, you can let us know and if we have room, you may be able to present, though you would not be eligible to win prize funds.
Do I need to be an enrolled student to attend the conference?
No. Staff, faculty, post-docs, students not currently enrolled, and friends, family, st may attend.
3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Information (click/tap to open section)
What is 3MT?
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) celebrates the exciting research conducted by Ph.D. students around the world. Developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), the competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Presenting in a 3MT competition increases their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Competitors are allowed one PowerPoint slide, but no other resources or props. The winner of MSU’s 3MT competition will have the opportunity to compete at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) 3MT in April 2025. Students must be enrolled during the Spring 2025 semester to compete. For more information about the 3MT, including criteria for judging etc., see here: https://mags-net.org/three-minute-thesis-award/
We strongly encourage you to visit: https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au for more information on 3MT.
For Conference Day, Please upload your slide (digital file) no later than February 18, 2025: Presenters should also bring a copy of their presentation slides on a USB drive if unforeseen technological difficulties occur preventing access to the submitted presentation. Presenters should also bring a copy of their presentation slides on a USB drive if unforeseen technological difficulties occur preventing access to the submitted presentation. Presenters should also bring a copy of their presentation slides on a USB drive if unforeseen technological difficulties occur preventing access to the submitted presentation.
Poster Resources at MSU (click/tap to open section)
Resources
Poster Presentation Information Page
Poster Printing
Don’t know where to get your poster printed? Look into your department first to see if there is a place to print posters. If not, there is a poster printer in the library and at Erickson Hall that can help! Below is a little bit of information that may be helpful for you as well!
Where can I get a poster printed & how much does it cost for a poster?
Find the answers here:
- MSU Library: https://lib.msu.edu/node/1886123/
- Erickson Hall: https://education.msu.edu/resources/buildings-technology/service-center/
- The poster printing service is only available to MSU Students and Faculty/Staff. You must have a valid MSU NetID to log into computers that support the software needed to send a poster.
Having trouble designing your poster?
Follow this link to a cool new poster presentation called the Better Poster! https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/06/24/theres-movement-better-scientific-posters-are-they-really-better
Undergraduate Research at MSU has some good information about Research Posters: https://venture.msu.edu/posters
Here are some additional links to youtube videos about poster design and how to make a poster in PowerPoint.
How to Create a Better Research Poster in Less Time
Mike Morrison on Better Posters
How to Use Science to Make Your Scientific Poster More Powerful
Workshops (click/tap to open section)
Please Register to attend workshop(s) of your choice:
- Workshop Announcements to come soon!
GAC ATTENDEE REGISTRATION FORM
GAC EVENT SCHEDULE
Important Information for Judges (click/tap to open section)
2025 CONFERENCE DAY SCHEDULE – *TBA
PRESENTATION/JUDGING SCHEDULE – *TBA
Please check in at the registration area in the Lobby Area outside of Union Ballroom (2nd Floor). Registration table will open at 9:00 AM. If you have any questions throughout the day, please feel free to ask someone at Registration (or GAC Staff member) Please note, the GAC Committee is scheduling Judge “orientation/training” sessions and will update this information here and via email. There will likely be late changes due to presenters and/or judge cancellations. We’ll do our best to provide up to date information during the event. GAC Staff and volunteers will be there to help! You can always find us at the Registration area outside the Ballroom on Floor 2.
There will be a Judges Lounge located in the MSU Room.
Click on the link above if you need a quick glance at presentation times or location. Or come to the Registration Area (2nd floor outside of ballroom) if you need assistance!
- You will receive an email with all day-of details that you will need.
- We will have a session onsite at the conference to go over responsibilities for the conference and to help with any concerns.
- Session assignment times will be emailed to you. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions!
- Thank you for your service! Go Green!
- Questions? Contact the COGS Office: office@cogs.msu.edu or call (517) 353-9189.
Keynote Speaker (click/tap to open section)
2025 Keynote Information
Dorinda J. Carter Andrews
Professor of Race, Culture, and Educational Equity
Previous Conferences (click/tap to open section)
Winning Presenters from 2024 GAC:
COGS is pleased to announce the winning presenters from the 2024 Graduate Academic Conference. These presenters were truly outstanding and impressed the pool of judges who volunteered to review and give feedback to student presenters. COGS is proud of ALL who presented their work at the conference, which was held on March 9, 2024. They amazed us with their important and thoughtful presentations and made us all proud to be Spartans!
Poster Presentation Winners
- 1st: Emily Diederich – College of Osteopathic Medicine
- 2nd (tie): Aaqib Ali – Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Philippe Moleus – College of Human Medicine
- 3rd (tie): Geil Schock – College of Osteopathic Medicine and Roksolana Sudyk – College of Human Medicine
Oral Presentation Winners
- 1st: Maria Cruciani – Dept. of Mathematics
- 2nd: Meghan Hill – Biomedical Engineering
- 3rd (tie): Priscilla A. Davies – Dept of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education and Ifeanyichukwu Eke – Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
3-Minute Thesis Winners
- 1st: Roselane Kithan-Lundquist** – Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics ** Advances to 3MT Regional Contest!
- 2nd: Atanu Ghosh – Dept. of Chemistry
- 3rd (tie): Bismarck Amaniampong – Dept. of Chemistry and Kay Hadrick – Biomedical Engineering
Past Programs:
Click here to get a full copy of THE 2023 GAC PROGRAM
Click here to get a full copy of the 2022 GAC Program
Photos & Professional Headshots:
- 2024 Headshots
- 2024 GAC Photo Gallery
- 2023 Photo Gallery
- 2022 Photo Gallery
- 2020 Photo Gallery
- 2019 Photo Gallery
- 2018 Photo Gallery
Learn About the 2022 GAC Presenters!
On Saturday, February 19, 2022, The Council of Graduate Students (COGS) held their 14th annual Graduate Academic Conference (GAC). After its first ever virtual conference held in 2021, the GAC was back in person at the MSU Union. Highlighting the daylong conference were 60+ graduate & professional students sharing over 70 total outstanding presentations in the Oral, Poster and Three-Minute Thesis events.
The 2022 conference concluded with the exciting 3‐Minute Thesis, a nationally recognized competition where participants have exactly three minutes to summarize their research. The winner of the COGS 3MT event qualifies to represent MSU at the regional competition held by the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS). MAGS hosted the 3MT competition at their 78th Annual Meeting, scheduled for April 6-8, 2022 in Milwaukee, WI. You may also visit http://mags-net.org/three-minute-thesis-award/ for more information on 3MT.
View the 2022 GAC Program
Congratulations to 2022 GAC Winners!
Here are the winners of the 2022 Graduate Academic Conference are awarded: $300 for 1st place, $200 for 2nd place, $100 for 3rd place/ 3MT people’s choice. Winners received the top scores averaged from their judging rubrics. Click HERE to view their Abstract pages.
Top Oral Presentations:
- Samridhi Satija, Chemistry/Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
- Chayce Griffith, Horticulture
- Md Shakir Mahmud, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Top Poster Presentations:
- Taylar Dickson, College of Human Medicine
- Nicholas Michel, College of Osteopathic Medicine; Department of Kinesiology
- Maria Kloboves, Food Science & Human Nutrition
Top 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Presentations:
- Pragya Saxena*, Pharmacology and Toxicology
- John Tran, Plant Biology
- Marzieh Ghiasi, Epidemiology (People’s Choice)
2021 GAC Conference Details
Congratulations to our 2021 GAC Winners, and thank you to our GAC Committee and The Graduate School for the support. We can’t wait to see you again next year!
Poster Presentations:
1st Place: Ying-Chen Lin, Horticulture
2nd Place: Sukhwindar Ajimal, Osteopathic Medicine
3rd Place: Talha Ghazi, Human Medicine
Oral Presentations:
1st Place: Megan Carrillo, Osteopathic Medicine
2nd Place: Erika Tvedten, Osteopathic Medicine
3rd Place: Jillian Sterman, Fisheries & Wildlife
3MT Competition:
1st Place: Tessa Grebey, Animal Science*
2nd Place: Sneha Banerjee, Electrical Engineering
People’s Choice:
Apoorva Kulkarni, Chemical Engineering
*Advances to Regional MAGS 3-MT!
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2020 Conference Details
The 2020 GAC Conference was such a huge success that we just want to say thanks to everyone who came out to the 12th annual Graduate Academic Conference on February 22, 2020. Congratulations to all of our winners and thank you again to our amazing Keynote Speaker and Workshop leaders! Without you this conference would not have been the success it was! This conference led to some amazing participants and we are proud to award the following students with awards in each of the categories listed below. We hope to see you at the 2021 GAC!
Poster Presentations:
1st Place: Katayoon Maghami
2nd Place: Vinai Reddy
3rd Place: Brianna Alred
Oral Presentations:
1st Place: Amelia Stieren
2nd Place: Vanessa Maldonado
3rd Place: Skye Russell
3MT Competition:
1st Place: Syeda Anum Hadi
2nd Place: Xinyu Tu
3rd Place: Dhrubajit Chowdhury
Thank you to all who volunteered, judged, attended, presented, and planned our 12th Annual GAC! See below for pictures of the event.
2019 Conference Details
During the 2019 GAC we had many presenters and participants and we just want to say thanks to everyone who came out to the 11th Annual Graduate Academic Conference on February 16, 2019 and congratulations to all of our presenters. Without you this conference would not have been the success it was! This year we were proud to award the following students with awards in each of the categories below. We hope to see you this February as well!!
Poster Presentations:
1st: Azrina Azrina with the presentation titled ‘Salmonella typhimurium: Specific Signatures as Targets for Detection by Using DNA Aptamer in Foods and Enviroments’.
2nd: Albert Jiao with the presentation titled ‘Reversal of Cancer Gene Expression Predicts drug Candidates for Cholangiocarcinoma’.
3rd: Saba Manzoor with the presentation titled ‘Effects of seasonal variations on distribution patterns of Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) in rural and urban zones of Central Punjab, Pakistan’.
Oral Presentations:
1st: Kellie Walters with a presentation titled ‘Temperature and daily light integral influence growth and development of sweet basil’
2nd: Matthew Swiatnicki with a presentation titled ‘Whole genome sequencing of mouse mammary tumors reveals a Ptprh mutation with potential importance to non-small cell lung cancer’
3rd: Lauren Kiryakoza with a presentation titled ‘Concerted transcriptomic and lipidomic analysis highlights altered lipid metabolism in humane diabetic retinopathy, particulary in phosphatidylcholine and diacylglycerol generative pathways’
3MT Competition:
1st: Azrina Azrina with a presentation titled ‘Salmonella typhimurium: Specific Signatures as Targets for Detection by Using DNA Aptamer in Food and Environments’
2nd: Pretap Bhanu Solanski with a presentation titled ‘Staying Connected in the Underwater Realm via Light’
3rd: Tyler Derr with a presentation titled ‘Multi-Factor Congressional Vote Prediction’
Please see here for article – The State News
2019 GAC Photo Gallery
2018 GAC Photo Gallery
Videos from GAC 2021 (click/tap to open section)
Thank you all for attending this year’s conference! The day went so well and we could not have asked for better presentations! Thank you to our judges for all of your hard work! We also want to thank our workshop organizers/presenters and our Keynote speaker Provost Woodruff from MSU. The day was a huge success and we are so happy that the first ever virtual GAC was enjoyed by all that attended!
Below you will find the videos that we collected from the conference. We only recorded the Keynote Address and the Awards as we did not want any issues with research grants to effect our student presenters as they continue their work.
For those that attended the conference you are still able to access Whova for the videos as well. Thank you for your attendance and we look forward to next year’s conference!
Awards
Keynote
MSU Union Information
Address: 49 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48824
Accessibility
The accessible entrance to the MSU union is located on the Abbot Road (west) side of the building. There is a ramp located to the right of the main doors and an elevator directly to the left once inside the building. There is a circular driveway drop off area on Abbot Road close to the ramp.
Directions & Parking: Click Here
*Closest parking ramp is Ramp 6 – also known as the Grand River Parking Ramp. Ramp is pay-by-plate 24/7. There are also metered parking spaces located in an around the Union. Metered spaces are FREE on weekends. You may also find free spaces behind nearby as well. MSU Campus Maps – Michigan State University
