Last month, students from the special education program came together in a research symposium that showcased their important work.

Coordinated by Professor Derek Nord and doctoral students Nell Krahnke and Ikfina Maufuriyah, the annual event included poster sessions and oral presentations from several students. A graduate of the doctoral program, Luke Sun, provided the keynote address, while researchers from the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community were also able to present more on their work. 

“The seminar gives students and faculty a chance to see what everyone is working on. For students, it's a chance to get feedback from faculty. Since part of doctoral work is presenting at conferences, the seminar is a very laid back and low-key way to experience what a poster session or oral presentation at a conference might look like. For faculty, they get to see what students they don't know very well are working on,” Krahnke said, adding, “For the organizers, it counts as a service toward our portfolio, which is a plus. But it's also a chance to get a slightly more in depth idea of how planning events works. It means using slightly different skills than we might be using in our day to day work, but time management and juggling multiple different pieces of a project are both a major aspect of it. Those are skills that are really applicable to our research and teaching work as well.”