Graduate Student Research Symposium

Overview

Graduate Student Research Symposium WinnersAbove: Snapshot of 2023 USF Graduate Research Symposium Luncheon. Left to right:  Tara Pedersen, Ruth Bahr, Elizabeth Sykes, Mahnoor Kamal, Ranjini Bhattacharya, Mark-Elliott Finley, and Gary Oliver.

On March 22 - 23, 2023, the Office of Graduate Studies and the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) held its Annual USF Graduate Student Research Symposium


Event Overview

GSRS Collage

Annually, The Office of Graduate Studies and the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) host the Graduate Student Research Symposium to showcase the research of graduate students in all disciplines and allow them to obtain feedback from faculty and peers. The event brings together graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, as well as faculty mentors and judges, in an effort to foster further academic collaboration.

All graduate students are encouraged to apply; however, students without previous conference experience will greatly benefit from participating in this event and are highly encouraged to apply. This is an excellent opportunity to practice presenting research in an audience-friendly manner. Being able to communicate science to the public is an important job skill.

Poster Review and Awards

The Research Symposium is an event consisting of graduate student poster presentations and judging. Applications that meet submission qualifications will be selected by a faculty committee. Both sessions are open to the university community.

All posters will be reviewed by judges who will evaluate various aspects of the poster itself, as well as the scholars' ability to effectively present and discuss their research. Based upon the judges' evaluations, travel awards will be presented to winning participants of the research symposium.

Winners will be notified by e-mail during the week following the symposium.


2023 Virtual Graduate Symposium Winners

Category: Arts & Humanities

Title: Digital Preservation of Fading Memories: Virtualization and Online Dissemination of the WWII-era Japanese American Detention Camp Amache (Granada, Colorado)
Presenter: Kylie Dillinger
Major Professor: Davide Tanasi 
College: College of Arts and Sciences 
Program: History

View Poster

Title: Milton’s Farting Clown- Medieval Satanic Influences in Paradise Lost
Presenter: Mark-Elliot Finley
Major Professor: Emily Jones 
College: College of Arts and Sciences 
Program: English

View Poster


Category: Health & Life Sciences

Title: Angiogenesis: A Tragedy of Commons
Presenter: Ranjini Bhattacharya
Major Professor: Joel Brown 
College: College of Arts and Sciences 
Program: Cancer Biology

View Poster

Title: Assessing Platelet-Leukocyte Interactions in Malaria
Presenter: Sushantti Rupesh
Major Professor: Iset Vera 
College: Morsani College of Medicine 
Program: Internal Medicine

View Poster


Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering

Title: Aquifer Water Chemistry Variability and Continuous Monitoring Sensor Comparison
Presenter: Mahnoor Kamal
Major Professor: Patricia Spellman 
College: College of Arts and Sciences
Program: Geosciences

View Poster

Title: Larvacean Abundance and Distribution in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico using the SIPPER Camera Imaging System
Presenter: Carlyn Scott
Major Professor: Kendra Daly 
College: College of Marine Science 
Concentration: Biological Oceanography

View Poster


Category: Social & Behavioral Sciences (Including Education)

Title: Guilt in the Golden Years: Examining the Effects of Defendant Age, Victim Age and Age Stereotype in a Mock Murder Trial
Presenter: Elizabeth Sykes
Major Professor: Christine Ruva 
College: College of Arts and Sciences 
Program: Psychology

View Poster

Title: Subjective Opacity Theory: Exploring the Ontological Gap Between The Mind and World as a Psychological Experience
Presenter: Roger Young
Major Professor: Jennifer Bosson 
College: College of Arts and Sciences 
Program: Psychology

View Poster

2023 Graduate Research People's Choice Winners

Category: Arts & Humanities
Title: Rediscovering an Ancient Greek city in Sicily: Multi-sensorial Remote Sensing of Heloros
Presenter: Ryan Hom
Major Professor: Davide Tanasi
College: College of Arts and Sciences
Program: History

View Poster

Category: Health & Life Sciences
Title: Allee Effect Strength Varies across Allee Mechanisms, But Not Taxonomic Groups
Presenter: Eva Muir
Major Professor: Andrew Kramer
College: College of Arts and Sciences
Program: Integrative Biology 

View Poster

Category: Physical Sciences and Engineering
Title: Reproductive Trends of Male Atlantic Spotted Dolphins
Presenter: Tara Pederson
Major Professor: Michelle Green
College: College of Arts and Sciences
Program: Integrative Biology 

View Poster

Category: Social & Behavioral Sciences (Including Education)
Title: The Future is Female: Our Need to Research Treatments for Female Sex Offenders & Implications for Social Workers
Presenter: Emma Stevenson
Major Professor: Erin McKinley
College: College of Behavioral and Community Sciences
School: Social Work

View Poster


INFO: USF Deadlines & Timeline

2023 USF Graduate Research Symposium Deadlines & Schedule
Application Deadline February 20, 2023
Accepted Applicants Notified March 6, 2023
Poster Submission Deadline March 15, 2023
Marshall Student Center/Virtual
Hybrid Symposium
March 22-23, 2023
Announcement of Winners March 27, 2023

INFO: Florida Statewide Graduate Research Symposium

The 2023 Statewide Graduate Research Symposium was held during the Conference of Florida Graduate Schools at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida on April 18th, 2023.


Two USF students won First place prize in their research categories:

Mahnoor Kamal (Physical Sciences and Engineering)

Roger Young (Social & Behavioral Sciences)


The following students from the USF Graduate Student Research Symposium traveled to the Statewide Research Symposium:

Ranjini Bhattacharya, College of Arts and Sciences, Head Orienting Behaviors during Simultaneous Speech Detection and Localization

Kylie Dillinger, College of Arts and Sciences, Digital Preservation of Fading Memories: Virtualization and Online Dissemination of the WWII-era Japanese American Detention Camp Amache (Granada, Colorado)

Mark-Elliott Finley, College of Arts and Sciences, Milton’s Farting Clown- Medieval Satanic Influences in Paradise Lost

Mahnoor Kamal, College of Arts and Sciences, Aquifer Water Chemistry Variability and Continuous Monitoring Sensor Comparison

Sushantti Rupesh, Morsani College of Medicine, Assessing Platelet-Leukocyte Interactions in Malaria

Carlyn Scott, College of Marine Science, Larvacean Abundance and Distribution in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico using the SIPPER Camera Imaging System

Elizabeth Sykes, College of Arts and Sciences, Guilt in the Golden Years: Examining the Effects of Defendant Age, Victim Age and Age Stereotype in a Mock Murder Trial

Roger Young, College of Arts and Sciences, Subjective Opacity Theory: Exploring the Ontological Gap Between The Mind and World as a Psychological Experience 

The Inaugural Statewide Research Symposium event was held here at USF in 2013 and was designed to showcase the best graduate-level research being carried out across Florida. Building on this legacy, other universities have hosted the event annually. Each year, eligible winners from the USF Graduate Student Research Symposium travel to the Statewide Research Symposium.

Statewide Symposium

USF Graduate Studies and Students at the Statewide Research Symposium and 3MT® Competition.

Pictured left to right: Dr. Gary Oliver, Roger Young, Kylie Dillinger, Mahnoor Kamal, Ranjini Bhattacharaya, Sushantti Rupesh, Dr. Ruth Bahr, Elizabeth Sykes, Carlyn Scott, Dr. Sandra Stone, friend of USF, Dr. Donna Knudsen, Mark-Elliot Finley, Dr. Tracy Costello