The College of Pharmacy’s Graduate Research program held its annual retreat in March, bringing together research students from the departments of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences and Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences.
First held in 2002, the retreat, “allows graduate students and faculty to see the results of all of the research conducted during the year in one session” according to then Basic Pharmaceuticals Sciences Department Chair J.W. Kosh.
This year’s retreat featured student presentations as well as faculty presenters so that students would have the chance to learn more about faculty research work.
We share our projects and ideas, which provides a diverse range of viewpoints and inspires us to explore new research directions.
Ph.D. candidate Xiaomo Shawn Xiong, one of the moderators for the retreat, values the opportunity for research students to connect with their peers and faculty members outside of the typical academic setting.
“This retreat helps build a bridge to connect with students from the different departments,” he notes. “We share our projects and ideas, which provides a diverse range of viewpoints and inspires us to explore new research directions.”
Bernardo Chavez, who is seeking his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences, knew he would benefit by helping to organize the event.
“I can build a close relationship with classmates who will be part of the same workforce and further grow my network.”
Ph.D. student Zach Stryker became involved with the retreat due to the impact from last year’s retreat.
“The retreat helped me feel more comfortable in the department as a newer graduate student," he says, “so I wanted to help organize an event that would give more students that same opportunity.”
Topics: Graduate Programs, Research