Event draws students, faculty and administration

BY AMY HODGES
Rice News staff

For the second year in a row, Rice University students ‘mixed’ it up during the SA/GSA Research Mixer.

The Sept. 27 event held on Rice’s Central Quad was sponsored by the Student Association (SA) and Graduate Student Association (GSA), with support from the offices of the Dean of Undergraduates and the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Graduate students set up displays about their research and answered questions as undergrads wandered around the quad.

‘Research is such a huge part of what makes Rice so special, so giving our students an opportunity to learn about the different types of research is really important,’ SA President Georgia Lagoudas said.

GSA President Sumedh Warudkar, who is working toward a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, was just one of the many graduate students showcasing research.

‘Many undergraduates are interested in attending graduate school and conducting research at some point,” he said. “And graduate students are immersed in research, so it’s logical to bring the two groups together. This event is just one opportunity for the students to interact with each other.’

Wilson Cauley, a graduate student studying astronomy, said he appreciated the chance to present his research in a relaxed environment.

‘It’s a very informal setting and gives us practice sharing our work with other people, which is something we have to do as scientists,’ Cauley said. ‘It also gives the undergraduates a chance to see a lot of different research projects at once, as well as interact with the graduate students.’

Lynn Gai, a Will Rice College freshman majoring in biochemistry, has already taken an interest in research and came to the mixer to see what opportunities are available.

‘I really like the setup,” she said. “It’s very easy to observe the scope of research that goes on at Rice.’

Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson said the event is made better by the fact that it was conceived and created by Rice students working together.

‘The mixer really combines some of the very best elements of Rice: outstanding student research, communication and sharing of knowledge, student leadership and a strong community of scholars,’ he said.

For more information on research opportunities at Rice, visit http://research.rice.edu.