Graduate Research Series 2022

The Graduate Research Series (GRS) is hosted annually by Ohio University Libraries to provide an opportunity for graduate students to share their research process for their thesis or dissertation. For spring semester 2022, the two talks in the series will take place on April 6 at 2 p.m. and April 8 at 10 a.m. Both will take place on Microsoft Teams and are open to the public. 

The two students who will be presenting this semester are Jordan Zdinak, a doctoral candidate in history, and Anna-Kaye Rowe, a doctoral candidate researching higher education and student affairs. Join Rowe’s presentation on Microsoft Teams on April 6 through this link and join Zdinak’s presentation on April 8 through this link. 

The speaker series is supported by the University Libraries, Graduate Student Senate and Faculty Senate, and has been held online since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The presenters are selected by the Graduate Research Series committee, which is made up of representatives from the Libraries and Graduate Student Senate. 

Anna-Kaye Rowe’s research presentation on April 6 at 2 p.m. is titled, “Endless Possibilities: An Exploration of the Postdoctoral Transitions of International Doctoral Graduates,” and explores experiences and process that international doctoral students navigate after graduation, specifically in the fields of education and the social sciences. 

“I became very interested in this research area following several conversations and informational interviews with recent doctoral graduates, who also happened to be international students, and noting the commonalities in their stories, the many lessons learned and challenges they had to overcome,” Rowe said. 

For her GRS talk, Rowe is excited to discuss the different ways students can use the Libraries’ resources. She used OhioLINK, the ALICE catalog and other online databases to find many peer-reviewed journal articles and scholarly texts throughout the research process. 

Rowe said that her research is an opportunity for her to contribute to the discourse around the transition and decision that follow for doctoral graduates in the United States. Students in education and the social sciences may find the talk particularly interesting, as well as those interested in learning more about preparing for life after graduation as an international doctoral student. 

Jordan Zdinak’s presentation on April 8 at 10 a.m. is titled, “Violence and Memory: Lynching in the Midwestern United States,” and focuses on how acts of violence are remembered. Some forms of racism, like lynching, are associated with the South but actually occurred throughout the U.S. 

“I used the lynching of Christopher Davis in Athens, Ohio in 1881 as a case study to analyze common characteristics of lynching across the U.S.,” she said. Zdinak first found out about Davis when she was invited to a coalition that wanted to spread awareness about his lynching. 

She then pulled from a variety of sources for her research. 

“Ada Woodson Adams, a local genealogist, member of the Southeast Ohio History Center (SEOHC) and Mt. Zion Baptist Church, helped me get started on the project,” she said. “We looked at census records to learn more about Davis. I then utilized Alden Library’s resources, where I received help from the subject librarian for African American Studies, lorraine wochna.” 

Zdinak then worked with the Equal Justice Initiative to place a historical marker outside of Baker Center’s fourth floor to spread awareness of Davis’ lynching. Students in history, or those interested in race and gender relations in the United States, will likely find the talk interesting. 

Both presentations are free and open to the public on Microsoft Teams. For more information or to request accessibility accommodations, contact Jen Harvey, library events coordinator.