Symposium to Showcase Innovative Research from UC San Diego Graduate Students

February 3, 2010

By Christine Clark

Cutting-edge research on global warming, the rise of type-two diabetes and the emotional foundations of post-traumatic stress syndrome are just a few of the projects that will be presented at the 10th annual All Graduate Research Symposium from 12:30 to 6 p.m., Feb. 5 in the Price Center Ballrooms on the campus of the University of California, San Diego.

Students, faculty, staff and members of the public are invited to view presentations by more than 80 UC San Diego graduate students from UC San Diego’s academic departments, such as biological and physical sciences, health sciences, arts and humanities, and engineering.

“State funds to the University of California have declined 51 percent in the last decade,” said Veronica Henson-Phillips, graduate student affairs and diversity coordinator. “However, our university remains one of the most accomplished research universities in the world and continues to attract the finest graduate students from across the nation and around the globe.”

The event, hosted by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and the Office of Graduate Studies, is designed to foster interaction among UC San Diego’s interdisciplinary graduate community and promote peer recognition, according to Jesse Vargas, vice president of GSA’s academic affairs unit.

“The symposium also aims to bring our research out of the labs and offices at UC San Diego and into the public so we can share our projects with undergraduates and high school students,” said Vargas.

The research symposium will include presentations from engineering student Kumar Bhupendra, who will discuss how CO2 greenhouse gases significantly contribute to global warming, but also have the potential for being used as an energy source, such as fuel.

Bio-medical science graduate student Marrie Mosedale, whose research focuses on the increasing number of diabetics in the world, will discuss the preservation of beta-cell function and how it is critical in treating type two diabetes.

In addition, Ashwin Budden, from the department of anthropology, will present a re-examination of the emotional foundations of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

For more information on the Graduate Student Symposium visit http://gsa.ucsd.edu. For more information on how to support graduate students please visit www.inventthefuture.ucsd.edu.

Media Contact: Christine Clark, 858-534-7618 or ceclark@ucsd.edu