Graduate Research Conference


2023 Graduate Research Conference
Friday, March 24, 2023, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
In Person - Student Center, 3rd Floor


2023 GRC Keynote Speaker Frank Urban
2023 Keynote Speaker 12:00pm - 1:15p.m.
Student Center Ballroom
The 2023 GRC Keynote Speaker is Frank Urban. Mr. Urban will present at the GRC Luncheon on Friday, March 24th from 12:00pm - 1:15p.m. during the Graduate Research Conference.
The Graduate School is delighted to welcome this year’s Keynote Speaker, Frank Urban. Mr. Urban is the Director of Venture Creation for Michigan State University’s Spartan Innovations. In his role, he assists startup companies within the life sciences in areas such as early stage therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices. In this way, he helps to get academic and laboratory research into the public sphere through licensing, patents, and so forth.
Mr. Urban has had experience in many areas before joining Spartan Innovations. He has held business development, sales, and scientific positions at many different companies, he worked as a Licensing Associate at Wayne State University, he has assisted many start-up companies as a consultant, and has been a manager for different laboratories at the University of Michigan.
Frank holds a Master of Science degree in Molecular Biology and a Certificate in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University. He says that his experience at EMU was “extremely positive, and the education I received shaped my career.”
In addition to earning his degrees from Eastern, he also presented at the Graduate Research Conference in 2003. His GRC presentation was based on work to engineer T-cells to target Her-2 positive breast cancer cells. At the time, engineering T-cells through gene therapy to recognize and attack tumors was a newer concept. Now, gene therapy is becoming a standard for disease treatment. This example shows the critical importance of the research that we do as scholars.
We look forward to hosting Mr. Urban at the 2023 GRC and we hope that you will attend to hear what he has for us!
2023 GRC Dates and Deadlines
December 12, 2022 - The application portal opens
January 27, 2023 - Application Submission deadline
February 3, 2023 - Faculty mentor approval deadline
February 10, 2023 - Acceptance response notification date
February 17, 2023 - 3 Minute Thesis Competition
March 17, 2023 - Presentation Upload Due
March 24, 2023 - Graduate Research Conference
3 Minute Thesis Competition - In Person
February 17, 2023
10:00am in the Student Center Room 310.
The 3 Minute Thesis Competition asks thesis and dissertation students to present their research in under three minutes using only one PowerPoint slide. The top three contenders will present again during the GRC. Additionally, the student who earns first place will compete at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) 3MT Competition.
GRC Eligibility
- Be enrolled in an EMU graduate program or have graduated in 2022.
- Engage a faculty advisor/mentor in your conference application (application below).
- Be available to present at the GRC on Friday, March 24, 2023 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
- Fill out the online proposal application in its entirety.
- Sample Abstracts [PDF]
Please be aware that the information provided in the application will be considered a final draft and used in event programming. Additionally, you should work with your faculty sponsor prior to application submission, as application approval by your faculty sponsor is required for participation.
- Applications must submit their applications electronically.
Support for graduate student research and the GRC
The Graduate School can help identify resources for you to aid with the following topics:
- Training to support research with human subjects
- View the Training Schedule.
- Questions can be directed to the Office of Research Compliance at 734.487.3090 or [email protected]
For information on how to access resources or to be connected to a faculty/staff member that can assist you, please email [email protected] or call 734.487.0042.
Presentation Formats
Oral Presentations
Oral presentation sessions will be from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 24th. Each session will be ~45 minutes long featuring three to four student presenters. A moderator will facilitate each live oral presentation session.
Presentations can be either Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Prezi Presentation. Presenters should aim for 10 minutes of content presentation and 5 minutes of questions. Presenters will be required to upload their presentation by Friday, March 17th at the link provided to them in their email.
Poster Presentations
The poster sessions will occur from 10 a.m.-11:15 a.m. on Friday, March 24th.
Presenters will be required to upload their poster by Friday, March 11 at the link provided to them in their email. Poster presenters may use the logo and template below.
Virtual Graduate Research Conference
In light of world-wide health and safety concerns, the GRC Team has explored alternative ways to display the scholarly and creative endeavors of our graduate students. The past three years, we have decided to pursue a Virtual Graduate Research Conference. We understand all of the time and effort that has been put into preparing poster and oral presentations and are excited to bring you the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Graduate Research Conference through an interactive online platform.