“What makes a successful researcher?” Keynote speaker, Sonia Alemagno, Ph.D., dean of the College of Public Health, asked the audience at the 28th Annual Graduate Research Symposium Friday. Alemagno said that the answer to the above question lies in passion.

“Every discipline is driven by passion,” Alemagno said, “and you should surround yourself with collaborators who share that passion.”

This year’s symposium titled “United in Discovery: The New Face of Research” featured 170 presentations and had 140 attendees, almost doubling the number of participants from last year said Weronika Kusek, Graduate Student Senate symposium chair. She said the Graduate Student Senate sponsors the symposium.

“We are trying to grow in participation every year,” Kusek said. “Kate McAnulty, Graduate Student Senate adviser, has helped out a lot.”

The symposium was free, but registration was required. The event included two oral presentation sessions and one poster presentation session. Each session was an hour and a half long. The symposium concluded with an awards luncheon and Alemagno’s keynote speech.

Oral presentations had to be 10 minutes long and followed by a three to five minute question and answer session, according to the presentation guidelines on Kent State’s website.

Two undergraduate oral presentations and four undergraduate poster presentations also had the opportunity to win a “Rising Researcher” award and $100. Other small monetary awards for outstanding graduate oral presentations were given out in categories according to the field of research and poster presentation awards were given in the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral categories.

Although each category in oral presentations only had one winner, the master’s and doctoral poster presentation categories had two winners each.

All disciplines were welcomed and the event was open to other universities in the regional area including Youngstown State University, University of Akron, Cleveland State University and University of Toledo, Kusek said.

The 29th Annual Graduate Research Symposium is scheduled for April 11, 2014, according to a status update on the Graduate Student Senate’s Facebook page.

“The symposium is a superb opportunity for graduate students to gain experience speaking about research, to receive interdisciplinary feedback and to practice for job interviews or before presenting at national [and] international conferences,” Kusek said. “It is also an excellent curriculum vitae builder.”

Emily Komorowski is the graduate affairs reporter for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].