Meet Grand Valley's Next Generation of Researchers and Innovators

Student Scholars Day (SSD) is Grand Valley State University's annual showcase of undergraduate and graduate research, scholarship, and creative work. Hundreds of students present original projects across every discipline, from lab science to design to community-based research. This year's SSD is Wednesday, April 14, 2027.

This isn't a career fair or recruitment event. It's a chance to meet exceptional student researchers, ask them directly about the problems they're solving, and engage with the kind of thinking your organization will be hiring five or ten years from now.

Why It Is Worth Your Time

Research and innovation have likely played a part in your organization's growth, and maybe in your own career path too. SSD is a chance to reconnect with that, and to help the next generation see where research can take them.

• Discover real ideas. Student projects often take on the same problems your markets are facing, such as new materials, new processes, and new approaches to old problems. Students are also close to many of these issues in their own lives, so their work can be an early signal of where your markets are heading.
• Get to know future talent. No booth, no pitch. Just genuine conversations with students who are already doing the work.
• Involve your team. Engage your own R&D or innovation staff, industry advisory board members, or alumni in a low-pressure, high-substance setting.
• Support the community. Faculty-student research increasingly translates into real business and community impact, and your presence helps students see that connection.

Ways To Participate

We know every organization engages differently, so choose what fits, or propose your own:

• Poster Judge: Review student posters and offer feedback from an industry/market perspective.
• Panel Participant: Join a discussion on research, innovation, or industry-academic collaboration.
• Industry Research Showcase: Share how research and innovation drive your organization's work.
• Breakfast & Networking: Connect informally with students, faculty, and fellow employer partners.
• Something else? Tell us what would be meaningful and fun for you, your team, and our students, and we'll help make it happen.

Get Involved!

Email the SSD Team at [email protected] to learn more or let us know how you'd like to participate.