Graduate Students from the National Capital Region’s Three Universities: Sharing Research Insights and Contributing to Knowledge Creation
On September 25th, M.Sc. and Ph.D. management students from the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, and the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa had the opportunity to present their research at the “Two Cities, Curious Minds: Graduate Research at Three Universities - National Capital Region Thesis Competition and Poster Session.” The event is hosted yearly at one of the national capital region’s three universities.
Through a thesis presentation and a poster session, 20 graduate students from these three institutions were challenged to explain as creatively as possible the impact and significance of their research. Over 80 students and faculty members attended the event. Participating students also had the support of UQO’s Dean of Research, as well as the Deans and Vice-Deans, Research, from the Telfer School of Management and Sprott School of Business.
François Julien, Dean of the Telfer School of Management, officially opened the event, congratulating all M.Sc. and Ph.D. students from the national capital’s three universities for sharing their exciting research projects. He was pleased that the Telfer School was hosting this event for the first time.
Making Decisions at Graduate School
Keynote speaker Ralph L. Keeney (Duke University and University of Southern California) advised the future doctorates and masters in the audience. Based on his research and professional experience, Dr. Keeney explained how to make better decisions meaningfully. Effective decision-making strategies are particularly important for graduate student experience, from the moment they choose their thesis statement to the defence of their research.
Telfer Research on Stage
Equally important is the process of sharing research with the community. Vice-Dean, Research, Wojtek Michalowski reminded us of how graduate students contribute to the university’s mission to develop and share knowledge:
“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Telfer School of Management, we are very proud of the role that master and doctoral students play in the development of knowledge that will help improve the lives of Canadians.”
Ph.D. students Vusal Babashov and Marwa Soliman know well that to share knowledge to the academic and wider communities successfully, graduate students not simply need to be prepared to present their research questions, methodology and results, but they should also tell a compelling story. Simply put, young researcher should look for creative ways to communicate the impact and significance of their work.
"The thesis competition was a great opportunity to develop my presentation skills. I have learned how to communicate my academic work in a simple and interesting way to engage an audience unfamiliar with my field. Also, this valuable occasion enabled me to demonstrate the implications of my research, receive feedback, and connect with other students about their ideas and work." – Marwa Soliman, PhD candidate.
"Unlike academic conferences and competitions that focus on specific subjects, this thesis competition gives us an opportunity to present our research to other students and professors who may not be familiar with our research domain and specific technical language. It is a difficult exercise to convey your research topic to such a broad audience as clearly as possible in under 10 minutes of time. That said, it is a very useful and valuable skill to have." – Vusal Babashov, PhD. candidate.
Twelve graduate students from the Telfer School of Management also translated complex research ideas into well-presented and fun posters. The poster session gave faculty members, graduate students, and the community a sneak preview of the next generation of research leaders.
Competition Results
Congratulations to all students who shared their work at the National Capital Region Thesis Competition and Poster Session. Here are the prize winners:
Thesis competition:
First prize – Marwa Soliman (Telfer) won $2,000
Second prize – Vusal Babashov (Telfer) and Vivi Zhang (Sprott) tied, winning $1,500 each
Third prize – Jesse Schnobb (UQO) won $1,000
Poster competition:
First prize– Afshin Kamyabiniya (Telfer) won $500
Second prize – Pengcheng Guo (Sprott) won $300
Third prize– Nada Elnahla (Sprott) won $200
The 2019 edition of the competition was also a great success thanks to amazing volunteers from the Telfer Graduate Research Programs Student Association.
See you in 2020 at Sprott School of Business!
