Doctoral Students Recognized at Graduate School Ceremony

By Ben Boulden

“We have colleges and programs on campus that do a white coat ceremony for their students after they are admitted,” McGehee said. “This is really a Research Induction Ceremony. It is a formal time marking the moment a student has passed the qualifying exam and will begin working on their dissertations for doctor of philosophy degrees.”

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UAMS Graduate School Dean Robert McGehee, Ph.D., address the audience at the start of the induction ceremony.

About 200 family and friends of the students, along with UAMS faculty and staff, gathered in a lecture hall in the I. Dodd Wilson Education Building to watch the ceremony, which also included a student and faculty recitation of the Affirmation of Scientists and announcement of achievement awards for Graduate School students and mentors.

McGehee explained to the audience that 5 to 20 applicants compete for each student opening. Once admitted, the students take graduate school courses and do research rotations with different professors to identify mentors who will provide guidance in completing the research and writing for their dissertations. Before the research phase begins, each of them also must pass the qualifying examination in their field of study. The Research Induction Ceremony honors the achievement of that milestone.

Each student’s mentor and program director joined them onstage to help them put on their white coats.

The students taking part in the ceremony are pursuing doctorates in Graduate School programs for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences, Microbiology and Immunology, Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, Nursing Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacology and Toxicology.