California State University Bakersville issued the following announcement on Dec. 22
Winners were recently announced for the second annual Grad Slam Competition, also known as 3-minute thesis presentations, hosted by the Graduate Student Center at California State University, Bakersfield earlier this month.
This competition is part of our campus Title Vb Grant, under the leadership of Drs. Anna Jacobsen and Debra Jackson, which is ingraining a culture of research in our graduate studies, positioning them for growth to better serve graduate education in our service region.
“Graduate student research is a time- and resource-consuming investment, more so in COVID-19 conditions. This year's second Grad Slam Competition showcased our students' skills in producing quality research and the high value of a graduate education. They have demonstrated a strong resiliency and a shared vision to exceed academic expectations even in uncertain times. Our students are owning their future today, with CSUB willing to help them in every step,” said CSUB Interim Associate Dean of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Luis Vega.
Hanna McKinzie, Graduate Program in History, was named the first-place winner with her presentation entitled, “Maoism and the Chicano Movement.” Her advisor for the project was Dr. Christopher Tang.
“As McKinzie’s research makes clear, Chicano/a activists in the 1960s-70s found solace and inspiration in the anti-imperialist ideas of Chinese Communist leader, Mao Zedong. In pursuing this research and elevating the historical agency of the Chicano/a activists at the heart of this story, McKinzie at once inserts these local actors into the broader transnational narrative of global 1960s progressivism, while also restoring this chapter of Cold War activism to the history of the Chicano/a movement in this country. Drawn from her dual engagement with Chicano/a history and the history of the global Cold War, this project is a testament to McKinzie’s penchant for highly creative and incisive historical research,” said Dr. Christopher Tang.
McKinzie will now represent CSUB as she will compete at the Annual Meeting of the Western Association of Graduate Schools, Grad Slam Competition on March 24, 2021.
The second-place winner was Graduate Program in Biology student, Jacob Spriester for his presentation of “How Low Do They Go? Investigating Plant Rooting Depth as A Factor of Drought Mortality.” This research is crucial in drought and fire prone California, where the resiliency of our forests is imperative.
According to Dr. Brandon Pratt, “Jacob’s project is a very ambitious study of the mechanisms that allow plants to survive drought studying coordination among root, stem, and leaf function. Rarely have studies taken such a holistic approach when studying large woody shrubs, and this approach promises to yield novel insights."
Eleven graduate student researchers participated. Out of the 11, eight students received scholarships as part of the Graduate Student-Faculty Collaborative Initiative (GSFCI). The GSFCI aims for students to submit their research for publication with the Competition highlighting the steps of the process.
Dr. Debra Jackson started the Grad Slam Competition on campus last year and it continues to grow. Competitors were separated by the thinnest of margins, as rated by four of our Hall of Fame Alumni Inductees, who continue their endless commitment of service to our campus--Debbie Wood, Sheryl Chalupa, Catherine E. Bennett, and Jeremy Adams.
Original source can be found here.
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Source: California State University Bakersville
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