On Thursday, April 11, Graduate Studies hosted its inaugural Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Exhibition sponsored by the Graduate Alumni Network (GAN). 

Nearly 30 selected graduate students from across the disciplines joined over 50 graduate alumni, faculty and staff on the North Lawn of Walker Hall for two hours late Thursday afternoon to discuss their research and scholarship. Students either displayed their projects on large-scale posters or used iPads. Alumni, faculty and staff had the opportunity to walk around the different displays and talk with the students about their research – and talk about other research or industry opportunities that could be invaluable to the students’ careers post-graduation.

At one display, there was a discussion of using microfluidic technology to create organ environments that can fit on platforms the diameter of a human hair, which would enable researchers to study how the human immune system fights cancer. At another, there was a description of how video recordings from the remote forests of Panama could help us study tool use in capuchin monkeys, a good correlation for better understanding the way people use tools.

Later, everyone was invited inside Walker Hall to a buffet-style dinner, where the conversations continued among the round tables. 

Showcasing impact

As one of the first major initiatives of the Graduate Alumni Network, the Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Exhibition aimed to highlight the diverse and innovative research being conducted by UC Davis graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. 

“Last summer, when we had the idea for the Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Exhibition, we wanted to curate an opportunity that would bring current and former graduate students together in celebration of the incredible research and scholarship happening here,” said Jean-Pierre Delplanque, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies. “We have a global community of graduate education alumni and graduate students doing remarkable things. And we have this wonderful building – Walker Hall – that is dedicated exclusively to the UC Davis graduate education and postdoctoral scholarship community. So we brought all of these things together, and the exhibition was born.”

The exhibition – the first of what is intended to be an annual event – was held during an already celebratory week for graduate student research. April 8 through April 13 was designated this year’s Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week. And on Friday, April 12, Graduate Studies hosted its annual UC Davis Grad Slam competition. The UC Davis Grad Slam competition is part of the annual UC Grad Slam competition, where master’s and doctoral students are invited to share their research in a compelling presentation that is three minutes or less.

Graduate students spend years doing the kind of transformative research that propels their graduate degrees. And while there are often opportunities to communicate and network with faculty, staff and colleagues within degree programs, those opportunities tend to stay within the walls of the laboratories and classrooms initiating them. In sponsoring this event, the Graduate Alumni Network, in partnership with Graduate Studies, wanted to bring these conversations and interactions out into the open – literally. They wanted to create a more public sphere that would carry those interactions across disciplinary and functional lines that can too often divide researchers and their innovative work.

Building a network of people and ideas

The Graduate Alumni Network was established in 2022 with the goal of creating a vibrant community for graduate alumni and postdoctoral scholars of UC Davis. This is an open network for social and professional networking, mentorship and professional development support for  graduate education alumni. It is also intended as a resource for current students, recent graduates and scholars as they start  their academic and professional journeys. 

As President and Founder of the Graduate Alumni Network, Sundeep Dugar, Ph.D. ’84, helped steward this charge over the last couple of years. Sundeep is an international scientific and business expert who has decades of experience in founding and growing several drug discovery and development companies. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry. 

“GAN is a place specifically created for graduate alumni and scholars of UC Davis where they can assemble and re-connect with long-lost peers, make new connections with other alumni, learn and teach, pay forward and get support, explore new ideas and possibilities, plan adventures and even restart a new career,” said Dugar. “It is meant to be an open place where we keep the discourse professional, cordial and supportive, and where originality is encouraged. The graduate education community is unique, and this network aims to reflect that.”

While the Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Exhibition is not GAN’s only initiative, it is its first major initiative. What better way for the UC Davis graduate education community to come together, learn from each other and forge connections that can benefit everyone involved – and even benefit people and communities far beyond this campus?

While addressing the crowd at the dinner portion of the exhibition, Dugar spoke directly to this value. 

“I’m a chemist,” he said. “That’s my expertise. But today I learned about grapevine roots and drought tolerance, and I learned about fusion energy. I didn’t really know anything about these research areas until today. The Graduate Alumni Network created the event that made this knowledge possible. That’s the power of a network like this.”