On March 16th to March 17th the Graduate Studies at the Department of Sociology hosted the annual Graduate Student Research Conference (GSRC). The GSRC has grown in size and has become a departmental student tradition ever since Dr. Erin Gibbs Van Brunschot, as Graduate Director, founded the symposium in 2002.  This year, the conference showcased a total of twenty-nine presentations on a number of diverse sociological topics, such as environmental racism, social responsibility of businesses and government of health.  While the research areas and methods differed among the panels, it was clear that students shared a commonality, a passion for sociology. The conference attracted graduate students outside of Sociology, such as Geography, Political Science, and Psychology. As well, students from the University of Alberta made the 3 hour trek to Calgary to share their research findings. The symposium was an opportunity for students from different cohorts to interact and share their research, as well as to gain valuable public speaking experience in a supportive, collegial environment.  Special thanks to Annette Tezli and Josee Couture, the graduate students responsible for organizing and overseeing the two day event, and for ensuring the 2010 Graduate Student Research Conference was a smashing success!  See the abstracts here.

Story by Christine Louie