Student Research Symposium celebrates 30 years

The Graduate School of Education’s (GSE) Student Research Symposium is marking its 30th year at this year’s symposium, “(Un)Censoring the Narrative, Transgressing Power and Activism in Education,” being held April 28-29.

Held annually in the spring, this year’s meeting is the first in-person symposium since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is being hosted by the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy (ELP).

The symposium was founded and is organized by GSE students, often solely from each year’s host department, and on a completely voluntary basis. The organizing committee formed in early September, and has met regularly, along with four subcommittees. This year, the symposium was planned by four student co-chairs — Kristina Collier, Giambattista Davis, Ngo (NuNu) Hna and Megan Syrell — as well as an interdisciplinary committee of 13 additional students from across GSE.

“From the outset, the student committee aimed to critically engage ongoing university and GSE DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts and in non-performative ways,” explains Melinda Lemke, associate professor of educational policy and symposium adviser. “Their work was inspiring to be a part of and included everything from deliberating on the symposium theme to how to better include full-time professional and online students.”

The annual Student Research Symposium offers an opportunity for students from all disciplines within GSE to work collaboratively, share their research, meet professionals in their field and prepare for upcoming conferences.

“A tremendous amount of teamwork and coordination was essential. Because of this role, I feel closer to staff from the Dean’s Office and everyone on the planning committee — people I may not even know otherwise,” says Hna.

Research posters, papers and panels that examine the symposium theme are presented over the course of the two days.

Hosting responsibilities rotate between four GSE departments: Counseling, School and Educational Psychology; ELP; Information Science; and Learning and Instruction. Funding for key symposium components, such as food, keynotes and venue space, is shared by the Dean’s Office, Graduate Student Association and the host department.

“Serving GSE in this capacity has been amazing. We all look forward to the insights our students have on approaches to (un)censoring the narrative, transgressing power, and ultimately celebrating and highlighting research surrounding activism in educational settings,” says Davis.

This year’s symposium aims at (re)building a collective sense of purpose, rekindling passion for work among academics and practitioners, and looking beyond the borders of GSE to better serve the wider community.

“The committee also recognized that the symposium occurs just prior to the one-year anniversary of the white supremacist murder of Black community members at the Jefferson Avenue Tops and is happening within a rising tide of ‘anti-woke’ policies — and thus they view the program theme as a vehicle to spur reflection, engagement and authentic longer-term activism,” Lemke adds.

For additional details, visit the symposium's website.