On November 9, students from Colorado State University’s eight colleges participated in CSU’s fourth Graduate Student Showcase. The one-day conference at the Lory Student Center provided graduate students with the opportunity to showcase their research and creativity, connect with students and faculty, learn about other disciplines, and gain confidence. Throughout the day, students presented scholarly posters, performances, and visual arts presentations to judges and spectators in the LSC Ballroom.
“The GradShow is a wonderful opportunity to experience the passion, innovation, and energy of graduate students and those across the campus,” said Jodie Redditi Hanzlik, Dean of the Graduate School. “It is also an opportunity to acknowledge the strength of our graduate programs and specifically, our faculty, who are responsible for creating a learning environment that provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to produce such scholarship.”
The event continued into the afternoon with professional development workshops, culminating with an awards reception. Nearly $17,000 in cash prizes were given in recognition of research excellence. The Office of International Programs sponsored three Global Impact Awards, with each award recipient receiving a $350 cash prize.
Global Impact Awards
The Global Impact Award honors a graduate student, or student team, that demonstrates an active commitment to making a global impact through research. Examples might include field research that was conducted at an international location, research that was accomplished by partnering with an international organization or institution, or research that has the capacity to address a significant global challenge.
Sneha Kadyan
Global Fair Trade Cotton Production, Indian Farmers and Textile Industry
“Globalization in the world’s economic order is critically dependent upon the confluence of economic exchange among different parts of the world. In such liberalized world economies, production for export is the key to success. However, there is lack of research on the recent developments in this sector that examine both social and environmental sustainability in how products are produced, exchanged and consumed. Assessing the impact of these global transformations, adopting an inductive approach to data analysis, I looked at fair trade textile industry with an emphasis on the internationally central, sustainable supply chain of cotton production in India.”
Cara E. Steger
Collaborative Models for Adaptive Conservation in the Ethiopian Highlands
“My dissertation seeks to advance empirically informed theories of collaborative governance to improve the management of complex social-ecological systems. Participatory modeling is increasingly used by academics and development practitioners to encourage collaborative environmental governance, yet little research has been done to measure the impacts of this process on local ecological knowledge, cultural norms, and cultural values. My research investigates the precise cultural and cognitive changes that occur when participants engage with a technological, scientific model in a participatory process. This detailed case study on technologically-mediated cultural change informs the study and management of adaptive and resilient social-ecological systems worldwide.”
Quy V. Khuc
Bat conservation at U Minh Thuong National Park, Vietnam
“The population of Pteropus vampyrus at U Minh Thuong National Park (UMTNP), Vietnam, was 918 ± 127 observations and it tended to increase slightly in 2016-2017. The revenue of bat fertilizer contributed almost 28.7% of total local household income. A large majority (96%) of respondents committed not to catch Bat while a small proportion (4%) of respondents is willing to pay for bat conservation. WTP was influenced by average age of house head and the spouse, working years in agriculture, and income. Our results illustrated several important policy implications for bat conservation in Vietnam.”