March 20, 2012 — "GradDays 2012," the second annual celebration of University of Virginia graduate and professional student life and academic achievement, begins this evening with a celebration of the OpenGrounds Studio from 6 to 8 p.m., followed Wednesday by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences' 12th annual Robert J. Huskey Research Exhibition.

GradDays will conclude with the eighth annual U.Va. Engineering Research Symposium March 30 and an open house on the Range March 31.

GradDays provides opportunities for shared scholarship and camaraderie among U.Va. graduate and professional students. Here are some highlights of the program, which runs March 20-31.

• OpenGrounds Studio Celebration
March 20, 6-8 p.m.
The Corner Building
Enjoy complimentary refreshments in the new OpenGrounds Studio, a space designed with open-minded, collaborative and innovative graduate students in mind. William Sherman, associate vice president for research and founding director of OpenGrounds, and Phillip Trella, assistant vice president of research for graduate studies, will discuss all that OpenGrounds will encompass.

• Huskey Research Exhibition
March 21
Newcomb Hall
A daylong showcase of graduate student research at U.Va.

• Lunch Panel: Securing Research Funding and Fellowships
March 22, noon-1:30 p.m.
Jefferson Hall

• Brunch and Baseball
March 25, 11 a.m.
Complimentary brunch at the Miller Center, followed by a 1 p.m. baseball game between U.Va. and Clemson.

• Lunch Panel: Beyond Grad School: What Every Grad Should Know
March 26, noon-1:30 p.m.
South Meeting Room, Newcomb Hall

• Lunch Panel: Getting Published – Strategies to Adopt, Pitfalls to Avoid
March 28, noon-1:30 p.m.
Commonwealth Room, Newcomb Hall

• Engineering Research Symposium
March 30
Wilsdorf Hall Atrium
Daylong event highlights the research achievements of the graduate student body in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The full schedule of events for GradDays 2012 can be found here.