FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, 304-696-7153
 

Symposium at Marshall University showcases cutting-edge research

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University Cell Differentiation and Development Center (MU CDDC) will host its first symposium on Friday, Nov. 14.

The event, titled “Advances in Cell Differentiation and Development,” will take place in the Memorial Student Center on the Huntington campus and is open to the public.  The day-long symposium will showcase cutting-edge research across many disciplines including cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders and stem cells.

The Cell Differentiation and Development Center was created through support from the West Virginia Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and Marshall’s College of Science.  The research focus of the MU CDDC is to understand the epigenetic links between cell development and health, and how abnormalities in these processes lead to life-threatening disease.

In a series of short talks, researchers from Marshall University and neighboring institutions will present their latest discoveries.  In addition, the meeting will provide an opportunity for undergraduates and graduate students to talk about their own research projects, giving this future generation of scientists an opportunity to highlight their work.

The keynote speaker, Dr. R. Michael Roberts, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, will present his most recent work on reproductive biology, signaling and stem cells. Roberts is Curators’ Professor of Animal Science at the University of Missouri.

In addition to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, his accomplishments include Scientific American’s top 50 list for accomplishments in research and technology leadership and an NIH MERIT award.

Scientists from the extended Tri-State area and neighboring states have been invited to attend the symposium.

“We expect that this symposium will lead to new research collaborations between individuals who would otherwise never meet,” said Dr. Philippe Georgel, associate professor in Marshall’s department of biological sciences, and one of the event organizers. “Such interactions will lead to enhanced research productivity and grant funding, which is one of the main goals of the MU CDDC.”

Georgel said the symposium will be capped off by scientific presentations by undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. It will be followed by a reception and awards ceremony at the end of the day.

Here is the schedule of activities for the symposium:

7:45 to 8:30 a.m.: registration, poster set-up and continental breakfast

8:30 a.m.: introductory remarks

8:30 to 10:30 a.m.: oral presentations, Session 1

10:30 a.m. to noon: poster viewing and judging

Noon to 1 p.m.: lunch

1 to 2 p.m.: keynote lecture, Dr. R. Michael Roberts

2 to 3 p.m.: oral presentations, Session 2

3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: poster viewing judging

4:30 to 5:30 p.m.: reception and poster awards, lobby of the Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center.

For more information, contact Kristen Sutherland at: bradley57@marshall.edu.

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