Media portrayals of youth climate change activists, perceptions of dance as a university sport, and the relationship between oral health and polycystic ovarian syndrome are among the many topics on the table at this year’s MNK: GRADconnect.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies’ annual graduate student researching and learning conference takes place virtually from Monday, April 12 to Friday, April 16.

Open to the entire Brock community, the online event will consist of three key components: daily plenary talks, a student video showcase, and the Graduate Networking Lounge — a discussion platform where conference attendees can connect online.

The student video showcase will go live Monday, April 12 at 9 a.m. and will feature more than 90 video presentations by graduate students from across the University.

Previously limited to either oral or poster presentations, students were this year given complete creative control to submit a video presentation of their choosing. As a result, conference attendees are expected to see a wide array of presentation styles and formats throughout the week.

Also on Monday, Brian Roy, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Professor of Kinesiology, will kick off the daily plenary talks with “Quality vs. Quantity: Can You Balance Work/Life in Academia?” Set to begin at 10 a.m., his talk will be one of five held over as many days featuring insightful and engaging speakers.

Now in its 16th year, MNK: GRADconnect, formerly known as Mapping the New Knowledges, was created to showcase graduate student learning and research, while also reminding master’s and doctoral students of their connection to the larger graduate student community at Brock. The conference broadened its scope this year to invite presenters from both course- and research-based programs to share their work.

“I am so proud of our graduate students and their dedication to this conference,” says Suzanne Curtin, Vice-Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. “This has been a stressful year for students and the fact that so many undertook a voluntary project to showcase their work and improve their knowledge translation skills really shows their outstanding commitment to making the most of their graduate education.”

Anyone interested in attending MNK: GRADconnect is encouraged to register via the conference website to be able to participate in the entire suite of conference activities.