The University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) will conduct its fourth annual Gateway to Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies Conference (GIGS) from 9:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 14 in the Student Campus Center on the Bluffton Campus at 1 University Blvd.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

The conference showcases quality graduate education opportunities that are available to USCB students across disciplines. It lends perspective to the high quality of undergraduate research performed at USCB and connects it to higher education perspectives available to the USCB student body.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

The 2017 GIGS Conference had more than 200 registered participants, and an even a bigger turnout is expected in 2018. In a departure from last year’s event, the 2018 conference will be open to the public.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

“We decided to open it to the public so we can strengthen the bond between the community and USCB,” says Lukasz Pawelek, an Assistant Professor of Spanish in the university’s humanities department.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Lukasz Pawelek is one of five faculty members, along with Carey Fitzgerald, Jody Thompson, Kasia Pawelek, and Swati Debroy, who are organizing the event.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Speakers from various universities throughout the region will discuss the benefits of higher education not only at the undergraduate level, but also at the graduate level. Conference attendees will gain a better understanding of the university and its role in the community as well as graduate school application procedures.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

The GIGS conference will feature presentations by invited faculty members from area universities, Q&amp;A sessions about diverse graduate programs, scholarships and fellowships offered by area universities, and a graduate school workshop. Speakers at this year’s conference will represent Nova Southeastern University, the Medical University of North Florida, the University of North Carolina, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and others. In addition, this year’s conference will feature a USCB returning alumni panel that illuminates their pathways to success granted by the academic opportunities available at USCB. <span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

The keynote address will be delivered by Sara Del Valle (PhD.), Deputy Group Leader for the Information Systems and Modeling Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Her remarks will be followed by a series of 20-minute presentations and workshops from:
<ul>
 	<li>Keynote Speaker: Sara Del Valle, Deputy Group Leader for the Information Systems and Modeling Group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory</li>
 	<li>Shane McDonald, Assistant Program Director and Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesia, Nova Southeastern University</li>
 	<li>Chiradip Chatterjee, Assistant Professor of Economics,<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Coggin College of Business, University of North Florida</li>
 	<li>Indranil Ghosh, Associate Professor of Statistics,<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina Wilmington</li>
 	<li>Vanessa Gant Clark, Medical University of South Carolina<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></li>
 	<li>Carey Fitzgerald, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of South Carolina Beaufort<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></li>
 	<li>Ashlan Prince, Graduate Student in Clinical Psychology M.S. Program, University of South Carolina Aiken</li>
 	<li>Austin Mishoe, Data Scientist, Medical University of South Carolina</li>
 	<li>Christopher Griffin, Computational Science Student, University of South Carolina Beaufort</li>
</ul>
To register to attend the conference or for more information, contact the conference organizers at 4MTeam@uscb.edu. Review the 2018 conference program at www.uscb.edu/gigs.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>