Pre-doctoral Students Present on Research Opportunities
The GSDM Student Research Group (SRG) held its third Research Fair on October 26, 2015, at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM). The Research Fair is an annual event that encourages dental students to participate in research as part of the APEX (Applied Professional Experience) or IREC (Intensive Research Elective Course) programs available at GSDM.
The hour-long Research Fair was run by the SRG officers. The room was packed with pre-doctoral candidates and other students who attended both the presentation and a Q&A session to learn about research opportunities. In addition to discussing the Research Handbook—a useful guide for students interested in research—the student leaders talked about their personal research experiences and fielded questions on a variety of topics, including how to approach a potential research mentor and how to deal with scheduling challenges.
The student-led Research Fair is a unique chance for incoming dental students to learn from their peers about how to find a faculty mentor and participate in research. Not only did the SRG discuss their own experiences, but they also made themselves available after the Q&A to meet individually with Research Fair attendees who wanted to learn more.
“Hearing students involved in the pre-doctoral Research Program talk about their personal experiences helps incoming students make an informed decision in pursuing research,” said Assistant Director of pre-doctoral Research Afaf Hourani.
The Student Research Group is the GSDM chapter of the National Student Research Group (NSRG), and part of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR). The 2015-2016 SRG officers, who presented at the event, were Mohamed Bayoumy DMD 16, Michael Whitcomb DMD 17, Jayesh Patel DMD 18, and Thomas Santacroce DMD 18.
“The Research Fair is an excellent opportunity for GSDM students to learn more about the variety of research opportunities available to them while they are at GSDM,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “I would like to thank all the Student Research Group officers who presented at the Research Fair.”
To learn more about pre-doctoral research opportunities at the GSDM, please contact Afaf Hourani at ahourani@bu.edu or visit the Pre-doctoral Research Website. To become involved with the SRG please contact at gsdmsrg@bu.edu or visit the Student Research Group website.