The UO Graduate School is now accepting proposals for its eighth annual Graduate Student Research Forum, scheduled for May 12 in the newly remodeled Erb Memorial Union.

This year the forum also includes the UO’s annual 3-Minute Thesis competition, which will take place alongside panel sessions. Last year’s event attracted student presentations covering a range of research topics, including stress and coping in humans and related species, ethics in the digital age, and how socioeconomic adversity affects brain development in children.

This one-day event, which highlights the outstanding research of UO graduate students, is expected to draw more than 150 students from 50-plus disciplines. Cash prizes will be presented to the winners in three competition areas to support student professional development. And the addition of the fast-moving 3-Minute Thesis presentations will add a lively element.

“If you want to know today what tomorrow's hot topics will be, then come to Grad Forum,” said Sara Hodges, associate dean of the Graduate School. “UO graduate students are setting the research agenda for the future, and you can hear them explain it in their own words at the forum.”

The posters and talks are delivered by graduate students who are still the "new kids" in their fields, Hodges said, but in many cases their work also will be presented at national and international conferences.

“Grad Forum is a scholarly event where you can eavesdrop on cutting-edge conversations between experts, but it's also an event that's accessible to people with varying levels of knowledge,” she said.

UO graduate students can participate in the Grad Forum by submitting a proposal for a coordinated panel, a 3-Minute Thesis presentation or a poster. Proposals are due Wednesday, March 15, by 2 p.m.

Details about submissions and applying can be found in an online guide. For more information on the Grad Forum, visit the Graduate Forum website.