2017 Annual Meeting Program

 

Selected PowerPoint presentations from the 2017 CGS 57th Annual Meeting are below. Presentations are in chronological order by each category. Presentations are offered as Adobe Acrobat PDF files.

 

Pre-Meeting Workshop Presentations

 

Master's Level Enrollment Management
Julie Coonrod

Olivia Nash

 

Creating International Opportunities for US Graduate Students

Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko

Karen DePauw

 

Tracking and Supporting Student Progress

Karen Butler-Purry

Janet DeLaney

Barbara Knuth

 

Attracting and Supporting International Students

George Flowers

Susan Porter

Jerry Weinberg

 

Holistic Review

Stanley Dunn, Carol Genetti, Ambika Mathur

Stanley Dunn, Carol Genetti, Ambika Mathur - Handout

 

PostDocs

David Eaton, John Keller, Elizabeth Watkins

 

Review of Graduate Programs: Master's and Doctoral

Mark Garrison

Scott Herness

 

Competency-Based Education: What Master's Programs Need To Know

Aaron Brower

Peter Laipson

Mary Watwood

 

Empowering First-Generation and Underrepresented Students To Navigate Graduate School

Suzanne Barbour

Charles Rozek

 

Using Student and Alumni Successes To Tell Your Graduate School's Story

Steven Matson

Brandy Randall

 

Internships, Practicums, and Other Models of Immersive Professional Development

Laura Carlson

Max Poole

 

 

Concurrent Sessions

 

Shaping A Research Agenda For Master's Education

Andrea Golato, Cecilia McIntosh

 

Emerging Tends In The Professional Doctorate

H. Dele Davies, Julie Masterson

H. Dele Davies, Julie Masterson - Market Analysis Resource

 

Supporting Students With Mental Health Challenges

Aaron Krasnow

 

Master's Admissions: Connecting Admission Criteria, Outcomes and Competencies

Kent Holsinger

James Marshall

 

Articulating The Value Of The Humanities

Ann Ardis

 

Preventing and Resolving Harassment and Bullying

William Graves

Cari Moorehead

Scott Whittenburg

 

Understanding Accelerated Master's Degrees

Brian Kloeppel

Susan Stapleton

 

Understanding Accelerated Master's Degrees

Paula Wood-Adams

 

Support Services for Master's Students

Benjamin Caldwell, Tyrus Miller, Nan Yancey

 

Sytemic Approaches To Diversity and Inclusion

Karlene Hoo

 

Changing Landscape Of Global Mobility

Adham Ramadan

Aimee Surprenant

 

Sponsored Breakfast Presentations

 

Proquest Breakfast: Content That Researchers Value: What The Data Show

Austin McLean, Marlene Coles

 

Educational Testing Service Breakfast: Does Testing Serve A Purpose In Holistic Application Review?

David Payne

 

Plenary

 

Next Generation Research Ethics

James Kroll

Judith Stoddart

Inspired by her ten years of teaching high school mathematics and as the first in her family to graduate from college, Dr. Tracey Kiser’s research aims to improve community college students’ success in mathematics. As the number one predictor of student success in completing a college degree, mathematics and improving math skills is critical to improving graduation rates. Kiser is dedicated to closing the academic achievement gap.

 

In her dissertation project Mindset Matters: Supporting Persistence Through the Developmental Mathematics Pipeline, Kiser examines the lack of support for low income and minority students struggling in community college mathematics courses. She focused on better understanding students’ learning needs and the ways in which instructional practices address those needs. 

 

Kiser received her Ed.D. in Teaching and Learning from the University of California San Diego in June 2016 and is currently teaching high school mathematics. To learn more about Kiser’s research, visit UCSD’s website.

 

 

Inspired by the suffering in his native Syria, University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate student Ali Darwish builds and programs drones that can carry food and medicine to those who need it. The computer engineering doctoral candidate and his collaborators envision sending drone fleets into war-torn areas to safely deliver supplies.

 

Darwish presented his research through the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s “Discoveries in the Making” education outreach program, which highlights important graduate and postdoctoral research to the local community.

 

Visit UAB’s website for more information Darwish’s research and the “Discoveries in the Making” program.

 

 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School's annual Graduate Education Advancement Board Impact Awards (GEAB) honor the research conducted by UNC-Chapel Hill graduate students and recent graduate alumni. Honorees are recognized for research across many academic disciplines that directly impacts North Carolina citizens and communities.

 

Silhouettes of Service from 2016 awardee Gregory DeCandia in dramatic art portrays the powerful narratives of military experience through a solo theater performance piece. DeCandia and his colleagues conducted 26 interviews of servicemen and women including members of North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Inc., UNC-Chapel Hill's ROTC, and other veterans throughout the country. According to the UNC-Chapel Hill website, "The finished piece incorporates a rotating aluminum cube framework, created by technical production graduate student Jacob Walton; the elements of the frame move to allow images to be projected and accommodate other storytelling elements."

 

Visit the UNC-Chapel Hill GEAB Impact Awards website for more information on current and past awardees.

CGS #GradImpact draws from member institution examples to tell the larger story of graduate education. Our goal is to demonstrate the importance of graduate education not only to degree holders, but also to the communities where we live and work. Do you have a great story to share about the impact of master’s or doctoral education? Visit the CGS website for more information

 

Archived GradImpact Stories
 

Leading Through Adversity

Kay Gomes Saul, Business Administration, University of Illinois – Gies College of Business

 

Finding a Path in Education

Lydia Gandy-Fastovich, Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin--Madison

 

McNair as a Gateway to Research

Ariana Garcia, Higher Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

 

It Felt a Little Bit Like Fate

Ahjah Johnson, Student Affairs Higher Education, Miami University of Ohio

 

Minding the Gap

Diamond Cunningham, Public Health, Tulane University

 

Expanding Our Understanding of Suicidal Ideation in Sexual Assault Survivors

Ava Fergerson, Psychological Sciences, Western Kentucky University

 

Dismantling White Supremacy by Emphasizing the Diversity of the Ancient Past

Sanchita Balachandran, Preservation Studies, University of Delaware

 

Using Social Media As an Effective Education, Research, and Global Outreach Tool

Anne Hilborn, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech

 

Understanding Mass Incarceration’s Adverse Effects on Families and Communities

Avon Hart-Johnson, Human Services, Walden University

 

Confronting False Narratives of American History

Allison Seyler, History, University of Maryland Baltimore County

 

Confronting Racism & Prioritizing Black Women

Erin Lee, Public Health, University of Washington

 

Better Understanding Disease Progression A Single-Cell at a Time

Sondrica Goines, Analytical Chemistry, University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill

 

Shifting Research Priorities to Combat a Pandemic

Katarina Braun, Medical Scientist Training Program and Cellular and Molecular Biology & Gage Moreno, Cellular and Molecular Pathology, University of Wisconsin – Madison

 

For Country and Family

Tyler Mobra, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

 

Radical Experimentation and Emotional Leadership

Wayne Johnson, Management, Cornell University

 

Living Her Life for Others

Meghan Lowry, Social Work, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

 

Mission Driven

William LaRose, Public Administration, Cornell University

 

Turning Trauma into Purpose

James Hentig, Biology, University of Notre Dame

 

Providing a Beacon of Hope for Veterans and First Responders

Nick Harnish, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

Stages of Grief and Celebration

Leigh Marshall, MFA, University of Iowa

 

Can Fool’s Gold Help Provide Cleaner Drinking Water?

Andrew Shaughnassy, Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University

 

Empowering Community to Kickstart Rural Recovery

Fatima Morys Barrios, International Studies, North Carolina State University

 

Therapy Dog Helps Kids Expand Reading Paw-sibilities

Meghen Bassel, Media Specialist Program, University of West Georgia

 

Improving Mobility for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Ahad Behboodi, Biomechanics and Movement Science, University of Delaware

 

Pushing Boundaries and Changing Perspectives

Thoin Begum, Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY

 

Examining the Effects of Post-War Displacement on Women and Children

Monica Burney, History, Eastern Illinois University

 

An Advocate for Higher Education Equity

Theresa Hernandez, Urban Policy Education, University of Southern California

 

Better Living Through Chemistry

Kori Andrea, Chemistry, Memorial University

 

Using Traditional and Emerging Technology to Better Understand U.S. History

Ray Sumner, Anthropology, Colorado State University

 

Increasing Cooperative Impact through Community and Collaboration

Charlene Higgins, Community Development, University of New Hampshire

 

Mentorship is the Foundation of a Constructive Research Partnership

Truong Xuan Tran, Computer Science, University of Alabama in Huntsville

 

Identifying Sources of Stress in Children

Amy Schultz, Environmental Epidemiology, University of Wisconsin—Madison

 

Advocating for Diversity and Inclusion in STEAM Fields

Rebecca Long, Computer Science, Eastern Washington University

 

Creating Language Programs to Attract and Retain Multilingual Students

Nabila Hijazi, English Language & Literature, University of Maryland, College Park

 

Complicating a Binary Definition of Sex through Skeletal Studies

Alexandra Kralick, Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania

 

Understanding the Biology of the Nervous System

Megan Perkins, Neuroscience, University of Vermont

 

Linking Scientific Research to the Public Good

Rachel Owen, Natural Resources & Michael Hendricks, Political Science, University of Missouri—Columbia

 

Promoting Lifelong Health and Well-Being of Veterans

Kristina Sabasteanski, Occupational Therapy, University of Southern Maine

 

Improving Battery Performance while Maintaining Safety and Stability

Priyanka Ketkar, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware

 

Hoping Her Passion for Computer Science Goes Viral

Veronica Catete, Computer Science, North Carolina State University

 

Serving Others, Serving Science

Alisha House, Clinical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Cleveland State University

 

Finding a Path from Afghanistan to Materials Science

Jeffrey Brookins, Materials Science & Engineering, University of Tennessee at Knoxville

 

Environmental Science and Public Service

Phil Steenstra, Environmental Science, Washington State University

 

Veteran Continues Service by Studying Human Genetics

Raul Torres, Biomedical Sciences, University of California, San Francisco

 

Finding Community and Helping Society

LaVoya Woods-Dionne, Master of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

 

Mission First, People Always

Allene Osborn, Social Work, Eastern Washington University

 

Leader of the Pack

Lawrence Minnis, Animal Behavior & Cognition Lab, George Mason University

 

Managing the Competing Demands of Military Duty and Research in the Pursuit of a PhD

Joshua Pearlman, Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park

 

Developing Treatments and Prevention Methods for Tropical Disease

Rajiv Jumani, Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Vermont

 

Improving Mobility for Wheelchair Users through SMART Technology

Kelilah Wolkowicz, Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University

 

Advancing Innovation & Entrepreneurship by Helping New Businesses Get off the Ground

Michael Mahoney, Master of Product Innovation, Virginia Commonwealth University

 

Understanding the Effects of Natural Resource Extraction on the Habitats of an Endangered Species

Didik Prasetyo, Ecology & Evolution, Rutgers University

 

Researching the Possible Use of Plague and other Infectious Diseases as Biological Weapons

David Markman, Biosecurity and Infectious Diseases, Colorado State University

 

Contributing to a Better Understanding of the Place of North America in the Pacific

Madison Heslop, History, University of Washington

 

Studying the Forces that Move Mountains

Ellen Lamont, Geology, Oregon State University

 

Understanding the Relationship Between LGBTQ Individuals and Health Care Providers

Lindsay Toman, Sociology, Wayne State University

 

Revolutionizing Treatments for Cancer and Infectious Diseases through Gene Editing

Theo Roth, Biomedical Sciences, University of California, San Francisco

 

Identifying What Attracts Physicians to Underserved Communities

Teresa Zhou, Economics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

 

Examining the Relationships between Travel and Colonial Writing & Knowledge Production

Noah Patterson Hanohano Dolim, History, University of California, Irvine

 

Creating a Transatlantic Storytelling Group for Able-Bodied and Disabled Communities

Hailey Hughes, English, University of West Georgia

 

Taking a Multidisciplinary Approach to Better Understand Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Arezoo Movaghar, Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

Developing Novel Vaccines and Treatments against HIV and other Viruses

Yi Wen, Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Cornell University

 

Advocating for Solutions that Promote Public Safety and Rehabilitation

Ryan Gentzler, Master of Public Administration, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

 

Promoting Technology Innovation in Africa by Empowering Young Girls to Pursue STEM Education
Unoma Okorafor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University

 

Establishing an Equal Playing Field for all People to Succeed
Garry Johnson, Entrepreneurship & Design, University of Delaware

 

Inspiring Generations of Students to Solve Real World Problems

Alyson Nelson, Educational Technology, Boise State University

 

Understanding How Viruses Affect Their Hosts

Lok Raj Joshi and Maureen Fernandes, Veterinary Microbiology, South Dakota State University

 

Science Isn’t Just Something that Happens in Labs

Arianna Soldati, Geological Sciences, University of Missouri

 

Finding Innovative Ways to Empower Women through Resource Development

Zubaida Bai, M.B.A., Colorado State University

 

A Veteran Brings the Parks to the People through Research and Outreach

Jessica Phillips, Parks, Recreation, Tourism, and Sports Management, North Carolina State University

 

Research to Better Understand How Antidepressants Affect Fetal Development

Juan Velasquez, Neuroscience, University of Southern California
 

Music as a Path out of Poverty

Dafne Guevara, Musical Arts, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

 

Collecting Critical Data to Predict the Response of Earth’s Polar Ice to Climate Change

Nathan Kurtz, Atmospheric Physics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

 

Studying Animal Behavior to Determine How Personality Is Shaped

Peter Marting, Animal Behavior, Arizona State University

 

Using Satellite Data Images of the Arctic to Teach the Public about Climate Change

Zachary Labe, Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine

 

Educating the Public on a Decline in Marine Life through Art Installations

Jacquelyn Dale (JD) Whitman, MFA in Art, University of Iowa

 

Offering Support and Promoting Wellness for Pre and Post-Partum Women

Adriana Dyurich, Counselor Education, Texas A&M – Corpus Christi

 

Developing Advanced, Affordable Prostheses and Improving Quality of Life

Aadeel Akhtar, Neuroscience, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

 

Providing Clean Drinking Water and an Education to Rural Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa

Prosper Zongo, Political Science & International Relations, University of South Dakota

 

Improving Airfield Safety During Extreme Weather Using Renewable Solar Energy

Joseph Daniels, Civil Engineering, University of Arkansas

 

Supporting Inmate Rehabilitation by Studying the Connection between Brain Injury and Criminal Behavior

Kim Gorgens, Neuropsychology, University of Denver

 

Using Social Media as an Effective Education, Research, and Global Outreach Tool

Anne Hilborn, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech

 

Highlighting the Importance of Art in Repressive Societies

Anna Rogulina, Art History, Rutgers University

 

Providing Clean, Renewable, & Sustainable Electricity to Sub-Saharan Africa

Mehrdad Arjmand and Aaron Olson, Engineering Mechanics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

Exponentially Improving Student Learning in Low-Income Districts

Jessica Bohlen, Education, University of West Georgia

 

Improving Access to Food Pantries for Food Insecure Populations

Matthew Schwartz, Social Work, University at Buffalo

 

Research to Better Understand and Prevent Suicide in Military Veterans

Lauren Forrest, Psychology, Miami University of Ohio

 

Discovering 2 Supermassive, Colliding Black Holes 750 Million Light-Years Away

Karishma Bansal, Physics & Astronomy, University of New Mexico

 

Protecting Firefighters from Toxic Exposures through Textile Chemistry

Chandler Maness, Textile Chemistry, North Carolina State University

 

Developing Innovative Natural Fabrics from the Fibers in Banana Stems

Joyce Nabisaalu, Design, Housing and Merchandising at Oklahoma State University

 

Preserving Art for the Education and Enrichment of Future Generations

Claire Taggart, Art Conservation, Winterthur/University of Delaware

 

How Ceramic Engineering Led to Cutting-Edge Inventions in Wound Care

Steve Jung, Materials Science & Engineering, Missouri S&T

 

Using Documentary Films to Mobilize Social Change

Mark Terry, Humanities, York University

 

Developing a Breakthrough for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer

James Froberg & Fataneh Karandish, Physics & Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Dakota State University

 

Understanding How Climate Change May Profoundly Impact an Ecosystem

Tim Maguire, Biology, Boston University

 

Building Community-Based Organizations for Violence Prevention and Education

Dorothy Johnson-Speight, EdD, Fielding Graduate University

 

Making Cloud Computing More Efficient, Reliable, and Secure

Masoud Moshref Javadi, Computer Engineering, University of Southern California

 

Using Art to Change People’s Perceptions and Increase Awareness for Sustainability

Joseph Blake, MFA, Dance, University of Washington

 

Becoming an Astronaut by Studying Life (Cave Slime) in Extreme Environments

Zena Cardman, Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University

 

Communicating Navajo History and Traditions through the Fine Arts

Dakota Mace, MFA, Design Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

Innovation, Entrepreneurship Inspire Creativity: Growing Heart Tissue on Spinach Leaves

Josh Gershlak, Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

 

Diversifying Future Generations of Policy Leaders to Advance Culture of Health

Patrice Williams, Urban & Regional Planning, Florida State University

 

Developing Bioengineering Strategies to Combat Autoimmune Diseases

Lisa Tostanoski, Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park

 

Helping Aspiring Entrepreneurs Develop Impactful Local Ventures

Dustin Mix & Maria Gibbs, Venture Founders Program, University of Notre Dame

 

Research in Philosophy and Deep Brain Stimulation Could Help Parkinson’s Patients

Tim Brown, Philosophy, University of Washington

 

Transforming Flood Control Technology

Jorge Cueto, Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo

 

Revolutionizing Battery Technology by Lengthening Their Lifespans

Mya Le Thai, Chemistry, University of California, Irvine

 

Using Stories and Personal Narrative to Find Meaning and Establish Connections

Lanre Akinsiku, MFA, Writing, Cornell University

 

Protecting Our Food Supply while Reducing Use of Harmful Pesticides

Joseph Taylor, Entomology, Washington State University

 

Helping Indigenous Tribes Relearn Ethnobotany & Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Rick Flores, Environmental Studies, UC-Santa Cruz

 

Researching Community Factors to Improve Wellbeing of Senior Citizens

Jessica Finlay, Geography & Gerontology, University of Minnesota

 

Supporting the Deaf Community with Free Crisis Text Line and Counseling

Tiffany Bridgett, Clinical Psychology, Gallaudet University

 

Understanding the World Through History

Adam Stoddard, History, East Carolina University

 

Improving Women’s Access to Pre-Natal Healthcare & Maternal Support

Jisha Panicker, Public Health, Wayne State University

 

Improving Biological Education for Students with Disabilities

Andrew Hasley, Genetics, University of Wisconsin–Madison

 

Increasing Graduation Rates through Mathematics Education

Tracey Kiser, Teaching and Learning, Education Studies, University of California San Diego

 

Using Drones as Humanitarian Aid Tool

Ali Darwish, Computer Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham

 

Sharing Powerful Narratives of Military Experience through Performance

Gregory DeCandia, Dramatic Art, University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill

 

Aadeel Akhtar, a recent doctoral recipient in neuroscience from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, learned at a young age living in Pakistan that the availability and affordability of resources could greatly impact the course of someone’s life. He’s spent his adult life building an academic background that would help him make a difference. Akhtar recently co-founded Psyonic, a biointegrated technology company, and intends to develop highly functionable and affordable prosthetic devices for amputees around the world.

 

Psyonic’s first product is an advanced bionic hand that, “has more functionality than $30,000 prosthetic hands…is easy to control, provides touch feedback, and is robust to impacts.” Retired Sergeant Garrett Anderson, who lost his right arm in Iraq in 2005, helped Akhtar test and refine prototypes. The Psyonic product is unique because it incorporates sensory feedback and is priced at about a tenth the cost of commercially available devices.

 

Dr. Akhtar’s master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from UIUC provided him a strong technical background to build the protheses. He’s currently a medical student and an NIH National Research Service Award MD/PhD Fellow at Illlinois. To learn more about Aadeel’s past research, visit the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign website.

 

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

 

 

Photo Credit: L. Brian Stauffer

 

 

House GOP proposal would end formula that favored private colleges in Northeast. But it would also mean cuts in funds to some public institutions with strong records educating low-income students and send more money to for-profit colleges.

International students vote with their feet. For the first time in more than a decade, university admissions officials reported a decrease in the number of applications to graduate school programs from international students, according to a recent Council of Graduate Schools study. Researchers found that international graduate applications declined by 3 percent and first-time enrollments declined by 1 percent from the fall of 2016 to the fall of 2017.

Prosper Zongo, a recent master’s degree recipient in political science and international relations from the University of South Dakota, came to the U.S. from Burkina Faso on a Fulbright scholarship. Zongo established the Prosper Zongo Foundation an accredited non-profit organization on February 24, 2017, with the aim of providing clean drinking water to rural communities and accessible education to every child in Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Providing cleaner water to poor, rural communities has been a dream of Prosper’s since childhood, when he remembers his mother walking several miles each day in order to provide the family with clean drinking water. The lack of access affects the health and well-being of people who live in these rural areas, because the consumption of unclean water increases the probability of waterborne diseases. The scarcity of clean water also impacts the ability of local children to go to school. They often dropout to help their parents search for new potable water sources.

 

The Foundation has built two wells in Burkina Faso and has plans to build more. Zongo intends to work for a year or two before returning to school to earn a doctorate in political science with a focus on the African continent. To learn more about Prosper’s research, visit the University of South Dakota website.

 

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

 

 

Photo Credit: University of South Dakota

 

 

 

The CGS report found that for the first time since Fall 2003, application counts from prospective international graduate students declined by 3% while the first-time enrolment of international graduate students declined by 1%. The overall decline was focused primarily in master’s and certificate programs, with responding institutions reporting a 4.8% decrease in applications and a 2.8% decrease in first-time enrolment.