As part of its 60th Anniversary celebration, the School of Graduate Studies hosted a Graduate Students' Mini Research Conference at the University of Ghana Cedi Conference Centre. The. Anniversary is being celebrated, under the theme "60 Years of Graduate Training at the University of Ghana: Repositioning for Global Impact."
The Conference, organised in collaboration with the Graduate Students Association of Ghana-Legon Branch, aimed to honor the rich legacy of intellectual excellence and explore ways to make a lasting global impact through research.
Prof. Robert Darko Osei, Dean of the School, who served as the event's Chairman, emphasised the fundamental importance of critical thinking in graduate education. Recognising the tremendous improvements in technology, he stressed the importance of developing human potential to complement technological growth.
Prof. Osei acknowledged that artificial intelligence has become an integral part of society and should be embraced for an even greater impact. He encouraged finding ways to utilise technological innovations positively and adapt to the changing environment. He mentioned that the event would become an annual occurrence.
A student exhibiting her research work
The Graduate School Dean also commended the University of Ghana for its remarkable accomplishments in graduate training over the past six decades.
Mr. Peter Mensah, GRASAG-UG President, emphasised the significance of the milestone being celebrated. The University of Ghana, he noted, has been a beacon of intellectual excellence, fostering innovation and nurturing brilliant minds across various academic disciplines for the past six decades.
While paying honor to the University's rich history, Mr. Mensah challenged participants to look into the future. He stressed the importance of repositioning themselves and their research efforts in order to have a long-term global influence.
Mr. Mensah concluded by revealing that plans are far advanced to collaborate with various organisations to extend the reach of students' presentations beyond UG. This move is aimed at showing the global impact of their work, underscoring the institutions' dedication to showcasing and supporting student's academic potential.
The Conference included an exhibition of research works, presentations and discussions of research papers by graduate students from the University's four colleges.
A student exhibiting her research work
Some of the Research topics on which the presentations were made included; ‘Population Growth, Forecasted Land Use/Land Cover Changes and Flood Risk in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA)’; ‘Migration Motivation among Transnational Women and Child Beggars from Niger’; ‘Financial Stability and the FDI-Growth Nexus’; ‘Stylistic Qualities Employed in Panegyric Poetry: An Analysis of Koo Nhyira's 'mmrane’; ‘Siwu Literary Traditions: An Ethnographic Biographical Study of Performance Genres’; ‘Local Fibrous Materials (Sugar Cane & Plantain Pseudo-stem) for Crude Oil Spillage Remediation In Ghana’; and ‘Clam Shells From Volta River Basin as Bio-composites for Dental Restoration’ .
The event was a testament of the breadth of research being carried by Graduate Students in UG.
A group photo after the exhibition
Also present at the conference were Prof. Justice N. Bawole, Dean, University of Ghana Business School (UGBS); Prof. Josephine Dzahene-Quarshie, Ghanaian Director, Confucius Institute; Prof. Patrick Amoateng, Associate Professor & Head of Department Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy; Prof. Rosina Kyerematen, Dean of Student Affairs; faculty members who teach graduate programmes; student researchers and graduate students .
