Now in its tenth year, the Graduate Student Symposium (GSS) has been independently organized and managed by graduate students. It is thought as a great opportunity for students to present their research in a low-stress environment and interact with their peers in a professional setting.

This year, the symposium will be held on Friday, October 30th in Griffin Hall. Following the symposium will be a reception at the Ira Nelson Horticulture Center. A raffle and a silent auction are being organized to raise funds; prizes include journal subscriptions, books, and other items donated by our Sponsors. We will also host a poster session, as an effort to promote 1:1 interactions, and give flexibility to students with preliminary data. Advanced undergraduate students are encouraged to present a poster (guidelines).

Our guest speaker, Dr. Eric Pianka, will give a talk at the traditional weekly seminar (Thursday 29, 4pm), before his keynote address on Friday.

We look forward to a great symposium in the fall of 2009 and hope for the enthusiastic participation of students and faculty!

The GSS committee,

Paul Hampton, Nick Haertle, Rob Quinn, Tyler Olivier and Lauren “Bird” Alleman