Marshall University will host its annual Student Research and Creativity Symposium on April 7 and 8 on its Huntington campus. The event is aimed at showcasing undergraduate and graduate student work across the university, while hosting high caliber guest speakers from across the United States.
The goal of the symposium is intended to showcase student work, contribute to the growth of Marshall as a research university, and show how student accomplishments can have an impact on the economy and quality of life of the surrounding intellectual and business community. A total of 118 oral presentations, poster sessions and artistic performances will be held.
The symposium’s list of guest speakers includes the following presenters, who will speak in the Memorial Student Center in the Don Morris Room. All guest speaker presentations are free and open to the public.
Friday, April 7
- 8:30-9:30 a.m. – Dr. Stephen Baylin, The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Research Center at Johns Hopkins – “Origins and Functions of Abnormal DNA Methylation and Chromatin in Cancer”
- 12:15-1:30 p.m. – Dr. Jean Watson, founder and director of the Watson Caring Science Institute – “Caring Science and Transpersonal caring theory: Guide to education, practice, research leadership”
- 3:45-4:45 p.m. – Dr. Linda T. Parsons, associate professor at The Ohio State University and Dr. Lisa Pinkerton, assistant clinical professor at The Ohio State University – “The Synergy of Artistic and Traditional Research Methodologies: A Conversation”
Saturday, April 8
- 9-10 a.m. – Dr. John Kopchick, professor of molecular biology at Ohio University – “The Intersection of Basic Science, Drug Development & Pharmaceuticals or Growth Hormone, Mini-Mice, Football, Dirty Shorts, and a New Drug”
- 12:15-1:30 p.m. – Dr. Roderick Dashwood, director, Center for Epigenetics & Disease Prevention, Texas A&M University – “Eat That! Immunoepigenetic Targeting of Your Genes”
- 4-5 p.m. – Dr. Steven Sheingold, director of the Division of Health Financing Policy, Department of Health and Human Services – “The Role of Health Research in Health Policymaking”
“Our guest speaker lineup includes several world-renowned professionals and researchers,” said Dr. Philippe Georgel, director of Marshall’s Office of Undergraduate Research. “We are delighted that they accepted to present their work on our campus, exposing our students, faculty, staff and visitors to aspects of research that are not commonly discussed here. More specifically, we will have two experts in epigenetics who will discuss the importance of this aspect of regulation of gene expression in the context of cancer, as well as links between diet and health.”
Georgel says he hopes community members take the opportunity to attend the symposium to learn more about the academic and research world.
“We often have invisible barriers between the local communities and universities or other educational institutions,” said Georgel. “The symposium offers a unique opportunity to eliminate these boundaries and allows us to welcome the entire community to share our research and creative activities and demonstrate the enthusiasm and quality of our students and mentors.”
Marshall University President Brad D. Smith will give a welcome address at start of the two-day event on Friday at 8 a.m. and will have media availability afterward.
Media are invited and encouraged to attend any of the events. For a complete schedule or for more information, visit https://www.marshall.edu/student-research/student-research-and-creativity-symposium.
The symposium is sponsored by the Marshall University Research Corporation, the Higher Education Policy Commission, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Canadian Science Publishing and the Erickson Foundation.