Graduate Research and Recognition Symposium
Part of the #GradLife Series
Content
Tuesday March 10, 2026
4-7pm, Student Union Ballroom
Open to all. Drop-in anytime.
The Ricco College of Engineering invites you to attend this college-wide research symposium—celebrating our vibrant graduate student research community!
Additionally, this year, we will honor and recognize students who have won prestigious external and internal fellowships, grants, and awards.
- College-wide Poster Session
- Lightning Talk Competition
- Recognitions & Awards
- Networking & Refreshments
2025 Poster Winners:
Winner: Muhammad Ali Shah (ChemE)
Runner-up (tie): Daniela Caraeni (MIE) and Efthymia Kostopoulou (CEE)
2025 Lightning Talk Winners:
First Place (tie): Amma Agyekum (CEE) and Steven Beninati (ECE)
For Participants:
Students across our departments are all invited to participate by presenting their research, scholarship, and community engaged engineering projects in poster format. This is an opportunity to showcase the posters you have created for conferences, department events, or competitions; no need to start from scratch!
How to Participate
- Submission Deadline: Friday, February 6, 2026
- Submission Link: https://forms.gle/crmQ7Gdj1HqV3WWM7
- For questions, contact: csbutler [at] umass [dot] edu (csbutler[at]umass[dot]edu) and ychandio [at] umass [dot] edu (ychandio[at]umass[dot]edu)
Poster Requirements
Notification to Poster Presenters: Friday, February 20, 2026
Your poster should clearly address:
- Problem Statement: What is the problem you are addressing?
- Significance: Why is this problem important?
- Related Work: What solutions have others proposed, and why are they insufficient?
- Proposed Solution: What makes your solution innovative and non-trivial?
- Impact: How does your work advance social goals or address broader societal challenges?
Poster Format:
We will provide poster boards and supplies (pins, clips, etc.) to mount your posters on the day of the event. You are responsible for bringing your printed poster. Common sizes like 36 x 48 inches (landscape) or 48 x 36 inches (portrait) are recommended. TBD size
Optional Lightning Talk
Notification to Lightning Presenters: Saturday, February 28, 2026
If you are interested in presenting your work beyond the poster:
- Submit a 200-word abstract summarizing your research and its key contributions for a 90-second lightning talk.
- A college-wide faculty program committee will review all abstracts, and the top 10 submissions will be selected for presentation during the symposium.
Awards and Judging
Prizes will be awarded in two categories:
- Posters: Judged by a panel of faculty.
- Lightning Talks: Judged by a Panel of faculty.
Top prizes include gift cards, certificates, and college-wide recognition!