Master’s and PhD students from departments
across campus will participate in the Graduate
Research Innovation Exchange poster competition.
More than 200 WPI graduate students will showcase their research Wednesday at the 10th annual Graduate Research Innovation Exchange (GRIE) poster competition. All members of the WPI community are encouraged to stop by the event, running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the upper level of the Rubin Campus Center, to learn about some exciting research, vote for a favorite poster, and cap off the day with an ice cream social.
A full schedule of the event is as follows:
- 8 a.m. – Noon: Business and Social Science, Life Sciences and Bioengineering, and Science poster displays
- 1 – 5 p.m: Engineering poster displays
- 5 p.m: Ice cream reception
Master’s and PhD students from departments across campus will participate in the competition, which not only celebrates the thriving graduate research community at WPI but also enables students to hone their presentation, organization, and speaking skills.
A range of diverse research topics will be on display—and in true-WPI style, all projects focus on real-world problems and seek to make a meaningful impact. A sampling of posters includes “The Impact of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform on Hospital Costs and Quality of Care,” “Assessing the Role of Pathogens in Bumblebee Declines,” “Emotion Detection in Social Media Data,” “Tethered Undersea Kites for Power Generation,” and “Theoretical Modeling and Experimental Analysis of a Pressure-Operated Soft Robotic Snake.”
A panel of 85 judges comprising WPI faculty members and alumni, as well as corporate partners from companies including Ad Harmonics, In-Q-Tel, and the Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center will circulate throughout the morning and afternoon poster sessions.
Students will present their posters to three judges, and each will be evaluated on poster appearance, layout, and content, as well as the quality of the oral presentation and responses to questions asked by the judges.
Once all scores are tallied, up to 60 posters will be selected to move on to the second round of competition, to be held on April 13, 2015. Finalists will be announced on Dec. 11 and will include a selection of master’s and PhD candidates engaged in research in the different categories.
WPI students, faculty, and staff are also invited to participate in the competition by casting their votes for one poster in each the morning and the afternoon session. The posters with the most votes in each session will receive the People’s Choice Award, also to be announced on Dec. 11.
All members of the community are invited to partake in a celebratory ice cream social following the conclusion of the competition in the Odeum at 5pm.
Former GRIE Winner Shares His Impressions
PhD student Rafaat Zaini has participated in
GRIE twice—and won first place in his
category both times.
PhD student Rafaat Zaini has participated in GRIE twice—and won first place in his category both times.
WPI social sciences and policy studies PhD student Rafaat Zaini has participated in GRIE twice—and won first place in his category both times. However, Zaini believes that the real benefits of GRIE are about more than winning a competition.
“It was a very rewarding experience overall,” says Zaini. “During just a few hours, I received valuable feedback, got to know more WPI students, faculty, and staff, and made new friends. While it felt great to receive an award, at the end of the day winning the competition became secondary.”
Zaini also notes that the event is a great opportunity for others at WPI to find out about some truly impactful research projects that they might not otherwise discover.
“I felt quite vulnerable the first time I considered participating, as I worried about all the questions and critiques that I might face,” he says. “At the same time, I did not want to keep my work available only for a conference or a publication. I thought the WPI community deserved to know what we are doing and to express their views about its value.”
“GRIE is a true celebration,” says Zaini. “I found it quite mesmerizing walking through the aisles enjoying what all these beautiful minds had to offer. It’s inspiring to see how much talent is there at WPI. I believe GRIE events are a one-stop shop for innovation.”
Visit wpi.edu/+gradresearch to learn more.
