Thesis & Dissertation Day
Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (PT)
Walker Hall, UC Davis
Focus . Plan . Write . Finish
A full day of cross-disciplinary writing workshops, publication advice, scholarly skill-building, and peer-to-peer networking for UC Davis graduate students looking to meet their writing goals and strengthen their research skills.
Learn from campus experts and publication professionals how to showcase your ideas and research for graduate school and beyond.
Limited to first 150 registrants.
What to Expect
- 🥪 Breakfast and lunch provided
- 🍵 Coffee, tea and snacks all day
- 🚗 Free on-campus parking (Saturday)
- ✍🏼 Research and writing resources to support your project
- 🌐 Social Hour
Registration
Registration is required to attend.
Registration is free for all UC Davis graduate students starting or working on their thesis or dissertation. This event will be limited to the first 150 people who sign up.
Please note:
- All day attendance is encouraged and expected
- Dress code is business casual
- We will be operating a wait list, and expecting confirmation of attendance 5 days prior to the event in order to release tickets to those on the wait list. Thank you for understanding.
- A confirmation email will be sent on Friday, 4/24, requiring a response by midnight Monday, 4/27, in order to confirm your spot. Please let us know if you would like to cancel your registration so that we can release the spot to those on the waitlist. Thank you for your understanding.
Schedule of Events
All times are Pacific Time. All sessions and rooms are located in Walker Hall.
| Time | Session | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 9:30 | Check in and morning refreshments | Graduate Commons |
| 9:30 - 9:50 | Welcome & Orientation | Gibeling Room |
| 9:50–10:50 a.m. | Thesis and Dissertation Filing Requirements - Sarah Hamid, Senior Academic Advisor, Graduate Studies - Brittney Solar, Senior Academic Advisor, Graduate Studies | Gibeling Room |
| 11:00–11:45 a.m. | Moving from Research to Writing - Marit Macarthur, Writing Center | Gibeling Room |
| 12:00–1:00 p.m. | Lunch | Commons, Patio, & Loury |
| 1:10–2:10 p.m. | Concurrent Session 1: From Dissertation to Book - Kathleen Cruz, Classics - Margo Irvin, UC Press - John Lopez, Art & Art History | Gibeling Room |
| Concurrent Session 1: Publishing Your First Article - Beth Tweedy, Shields Library | Walker Hall 1330 | |
| 2:20–3:20 p.m. | The Last Six Months - Daniel Moglen, UC Davis Health Educational Specialist | Gibeling Room |
| 3:30 - 4:30 | Concurrent Session 2: Writing for Multilingual and International Writers - Kelly Crosby, Writing Center - Qian Liu, Shields Library | Gibeling Room |
| Concurrent Session 2: Conducting Literature Reviews - David Michalski, Shields Library | Walker Hall 1330 | |
| 4:30–5:30 p.m. | Closing Social Hour | Graduate Commons and Patio |
For parking, the most convenient location is Parking Lot 10, located at 1st Street and A Street. There is no charge for parking on Saturdays.
From parking lot 10, you will be able to walk to Walker Hall by heading West on 1st Street/Shields Avenue, a five-minute walk.
Please note the following important details:
● Location & Entry: Please use the North Entrance of Walker Hall on Shields Ave on the day of the event (see map attached).
● Registration & Refreshments: Registration will open at 9:00 a.m., and light refreshments will be available at that time.
● Attendance Requirement: This is an all-day event, and we request that you plan for full-day attendance to truly gain full value from this event.
● Dress Code: The dress code for the event is business casual.