For most students at Grand Valley State University, they devote their entire life to research and trying to find answers to the world’s small and large mysteries, finding meaning, producing ideas and going beyond the expected viewpoints of previous studies.

To highlight the research done by more than 40 graduate students, the Graduate School and the Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence are hosting a graduate showcase on April 19 from 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Charles W. Loosemore Auditorium on GVSU’s Pew Campus.

Looking at a variety of research and scholarly activities, topics to be presented at the showcase include social media’s role in higher education, biological trends affecting Michigan and issues impacting students and faculty of color in higher education.

Jennifer Palm, the office coordinator at the Graduate School, said that this is the chance for participants to see the 36 graduate programs at GVSU.

“While for some, it is a component of their graduate degree or their final project, the main purpose of this event is to celebrate the graduate students’ accomplishments and showcase the skills and knowledge they have attained,” she said.

Mark Luttenton, the associate dean of the Graduate School, said the showcase is intended to give graduate students the chance to display their work in a presentation format, to show what they have been doing in their studies and how their research could benefit different communities.

“The Grand Valley community can see this work and familiarize themselves with the graduate students and what they are doing, to serve as an inspiration to undergraduate students,” Luttenton said. “There is a range of projects and research that our students are involved in.”

During the event, graduate students will be standing next to posters outlining their research. As observers – faculty, undergraduate students and other graduate students – walk by they will then be able to ask the students questions about their work and its importance.

“They have to know the subject and do a good job in stressing the more important details of their subject,” Luttenton said. “The culmination of a couple years of work for these students to stand there and answer questions and to basically talk about the work really is a lot of mental preparation.”

Emphasizing the different graduate programs at GVSU, Luttenton said seeing a broad range of the graduate programs every year is a great opportunity for the graduate students to interact with different disciplines from their owns and ask them questions about the research they conducted.

For more information about the Graduate School, visit www.gvsu.edu/gs.