To
learn more about the wide range of research University of Delaware
graduate students are doing in UD’s 51 doctoral programs and 131
master’s degree programs, you could go from lab to lab asking questions
or try to catch up with these researchers over coffee.
A much more efficient approach is to attend the annual Graduate
Students’ Forum, which puts a good deal of that work out on public
display under one roof, with the investigators themselves on hand to
answer your questions.
About 200 people attended this year’s forum, the ninth annual event,
which this year was titled “Better Together: Mobilizing a Community of
Scholars.” Ninety-three students presented details of their research.
Diane Codding, a doctoral student in education, didn’t present
her research, which focuses on two things: after-school computer science
programs that are culturally responsive; and racial literacy,
especially how white teachers are learning to talk about race in their
classrooms.
Instead, she chaired the forum, working it into an already jammed
semester that included teaching a course, working as a research
assistant and presenting at several conferences. That’s how valuable she
believes the forum is.
“Even knowing it would be an overwhelming semester full of work, it’s
something I thought would be really important,” she said. “Too often
we’re kind of siloed in our own departments. It was really nice to see
the turnout and to hear the research and see the rooms filled with
people to hear about this research. People asked amazing questions
throughout the day, too, and showed how they are working across
disciplines to address issues like inequity and global warming.”
There were many projects to explore, with oral presentations grouped
around 16 themes, including (to name a few): climate change, bone and
joint health, niche uses for polymers, international politics, history,
technology, the arts, smart cities, addressing inequities, emergency
services, cancer treatment and public health. The event also provided an
opportunity for participants to network and connect with other students
conducting interdisciplinary, and sometimes complementary, work to
their own.