KU’s Institute for Information Sciences Student Research Symposium Expands in 2025


The I2S Student Organization (ISO) is planning to expand their annual I2S Student Research Symposium (ISRS) to include regional institutions in 2025. ISRS is an opportunity for graduate students to share their research and ideas with other graduate students and faculty members.

Leaders for next year’s symposium will invite other collegiate research groups from elsewhere in Kansas and Missouri, including the Kansas City metro area, to participate for the first time. The invitation will potential extend to similar groups in Nebraska. The 2025 symposium is currently slated for Jan. 24 with a submission deadline in early December.

Babak Badhava, graduate reseacher and leader of ISO, said that when they initially started planning the first ISRS, they were hoping to encourage collaboration and healthy competition among I2S students. They were also hoping to provide a less formal stage for students to practice public presentations and receive feedback from faculty. "The first two ISRS symposiums were great experiences, and more than 40 students from various disciplines presented their work," Badhava said. "I believe this expansion benefits our students in various ways, such as providing a bigger stage for them to publicize their research and skills, and helping students to build a network of like-minded people with complementary skill sets from regional institutions. I hope this would be an encouraging event for our graduate students to keep up their good work."

As in past programs of ISRS, next year’s gathering will feature both oral and poster presentations as well as a keynote speaker. Graduate students from all academic backgrounds are invited to submit abstracts of work they recently published, are in the process of publishing, or are works-in-progress.

The ISRS schedule, final submission deadline and registration instructions will be posted on the I2S website as the submission deadline approaches. The symposium will take place at the I2S headquarters in Nichols Hall, Apollo Auditorium. The option to stream the event via Zoom will also be available for participants who cannot attend in person.