2026 G.R.I.N.D. Conference Theme #TheImpactExpo: " Graduate Research doesn't just analyze the world, it changes it"

Panel 5: #ImpactingOurVoices Using research to amplify advocacy and social awareness.

This culminating summit will focus on collective power and the importance of civic engagement, storytelling, and representation. The audience for this panel will be a culmination of all that has spoken before into a broader discussion of what we can do now to influence the future generation of leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, etc.

#TheImpact Expo is a modern and innovative space where graduate students will show how their research is making a real difference in the world. #TheImpactExpo will highlight how graduate research connects real-life issues, from education to healthcare to politics, technology, and economics. The goal of the #TheImpact Expo is to show that graduate students are engaging in meaningful research that matters- not just within the confines of classrooms or labs, but in ways that extend far beyond, shaping communities, industries, and the world at large.