Wednesday, April 18, 2012
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – (April 18, 2012) – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s third annual Regional Research Symposium will be held Thursday, April 19, in the Student Services Center.
The 2012 event, organized by the UMES School of Graduate Studies, kicks off at 8:15 a.m. in the Allen J. Singleton / Multi-purpose room where Dr. Charles Williams, the university’s vice president for affairs, will welcome participants.
This year’s conference theme is “Building Graduate Education through Undergraduate Pipelines” and is designed to offer participants a forum to discuss research at regional universities, colleges and industry.
Dr. Benjamin E. Cuker, a research scientist at Hampton University, will be the plenary speaker immediately following Williams’ remarks.
Oral and poster presentations of research conducted by undergraduates, graduate students and faculty will be featured. In addition, Adith Thummalapalli, Areej Shahid and Kierra Owens – three students from Salisbury Middle School also will make a presentation during the poster session on their project, “Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.
Jennifer Keane-Dawes, UMES’ graduate school dean, said organizers invited the middle school students “to provide early exposure to research at the university level and to build relationships that we hope may assist in maintaining interest in all disciplines,” particularly science, technology engineering and math. The teens will meet with faculty and tour research labs on campus, she said.
Poster presentations will take place in the SSC ballroom beginning mid-morning and will be followed by oral presentations in various rooms on the second floor for the SSC. The best of each will receive awards at the close of the symposium. Graduate faculty awards also will recognize a Distinguished Scholar and an Outstanding Mentor.
The guest speaker at a midday luncheon will be Dr. Orlando Taylor, president of the Washington, D.C. campus of the Chicago School of Psychology.
Entertainment will be provided by UMES students, who will provide a preview of the 2012 Dinner Theater production scheduled for a three day run starting Thursday night and continuing Friday and Saturday nights.
Graduate deans from Bowie State, Coppin State, Salisbury and Morgan State universities are scheduled to attend, Keane-Dawes said.
Bill Robinson,director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355.
