Research Expo Set For April 9

Old Dominion University and other institutions in southeastern Virginia will showcase achievements of faculty and students at Research Expo 2008, “Communities of Research: Discovery, Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” on April 9 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

The event, which begins at 8:30 a.m., will feature a keynote address at 3 p.m. by Richard Alley, the Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at Penn State University and a member of the panel on climate change that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. vice president Al Gore.

This is the fifth Research Expo. ODU launched the daylong event in 2004. Other area institutions participating include Norfolk State University, Eastern Virginia Medical School and the Virginia Tidewater Consortium for Higher Education, whose members include the College of William and Mary, Christopher Newport University, Hampton University and the Joint Forces Staff College.

About 1,500 people attended last year’s Expo, according to Kaethe Ferguson, director of research development in ODU’s Office of Research.

At least 400 posters, exhibits and demonstrations in fields ranging from nuclear physics to fine arts will make up the basic program. Musical performances and an art show will be included in the event, as well as demonstrations of research accomplishments in areas such as biofuel production and medical modeling and simulation. In addition, panel discussions held throughout the day will explore topics such as research ethics and global warming.

Mohammad Karim, ODU’s vice president for research, said, “This forum promotes collaborations between researchers from various disciplines and different schools, and it allows people from business, industry and government to begin dialogues with us about cooperative ventures. Our goal is to find applications for our academic research that will be valuable to our region and state.”

Panel discussions, featuring experts from the participating institutions and from outside industries and agencies, will be: “Fostering an Ethical Research Environment” (9-10:30 a.m.), “Global Climate Change” (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and “Democracy and Research Worldwide” (1-2:30 p.m.).