As appearing in SOURCE
On February 15th, a three-minute timer loomed over 33 graduate students competing for a spot in the new Vice President for Research Fellowship.
The fellows will receive up to $4,000 in scholarship and travel support as well as opportunities to participate in professional development workshops, mentorship, leadership and engagement opportunities over the 2016-17 academic year.
As students quickly summarized their research, judges scored on criteria associated with the content and comprehension of the presentation, as well as students’ effective engagement and communication skills. They also ranked the students on their potential for contribution to the fellows program.
“The challenge event epitomizes why we, as faculty and educators, come to work every day – CSU students are incredibly talented and dedicated, and it is a privilege to be a witness to their success,” said Ellen Fisher, senior faculty advisor to the Office of the Vice President for Research and lead coordinator of the new program. “Every one of the graduate students who participated has already demonstrated immense passion and an ability to put themselves out there. They are all winners.”
This new initiative was created by the Office of the Vice President for Research to support excellence in graduate research and scholarly works and to promote cross-college and cross-department collaborations. Participants were chosen from the CSU Graduate School’s Graduate Student Showcase and nominated by their colleges.
“Our goals for the VPR Fellows program are to provide a transformative leadership experience and to help prepare the next generation of diverse, innovative creators for the next stage of their careers in the global marketplace,” said Alan Rudolph, vice president for research. “We hope this will become a flagship program for the entire university.”
In March the competition came to a close, with two liberal arts students receiving a coveted fellowship in the inaugural cohort. Maggie Jones will represent the Department of History and Hannah Love will represent the Department of Sociology.
Maggie Jones’ three minute presentation in the competition was titled “A Decade of Dysfunction: Mismanagement of Sacred Spaces at Effigy Mounds National Monument”. Hannah Love’s three minute presentation was titled “Formula for Long-Term Learning”. Both students will continue with their respective research throughout the next academic year, with a helpful boost coming from the fellowship award.
Jill Baylis contributed to this story