The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) is in the process of planning its first annual GRADitude Week, to be held April 22 - 26, 2019. A spin-off of the national Graduate Student Appreciation Week, GPS wants to celebrate the important role that graduate students play on our campus and in furthering our university.
"It’s not a secret that Rice University graduate students work extremely hard and GPS wants to show our appreciation for their dedication to their studies," said Kim Gonzalez, Director of Student Advancement and Career Development in the GPS office. "Grad school is not easy, and sometimes you have to take a little break from the lab or the literature and have some fun. Hopefully the students can do just that during GRADitude week, and maybe win an awesome prize!"
The week will have a slew of activities to be held both on campus and online, including several competitions for students to break down their research and win prizes for it. "Haiku your Thesis" challenges students to put their research into poem form, "Musical Thesis" encourages students to set their research to popular music, and in "Three Emoji Thesis" students will use just three emojis to get granular with their work. Students pursuing non-thesis-based degrees are welcome and encouraged to participate using the project of their choosing.
The culmination of the week will be Cake Walk, to be held on Thursday, April 25, at GRADitude Fest. The Cake Walk celebration honors graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have gotten a major award or fellowship with the cake of their choosing, presented to them by Dean Seiichi Matsuda. As part of GRADitude Fest, students can help themselves to food from two different food trucks as well as drinks from Valhalla.
To see a full list of events, click here.