Six Virginia Tech students will present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.

The students submitted applications last fall to be part of the competitive conference, which takes place April 11-13, 2013, at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

The students include:

  • Mark Managuio of Norfolk, Va., a senior majoring in political science and sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, will give an oral presentation titled, “Campus climate: Perceptions of diversity among students at Virginia Tech.”
  • Saivarshith Peddireddy, a junior majoring in biological sciences in the College of Science, will give a poster presentation titled, “Ankle injury prevention using shear thickening fluid.” Peddireddy is in the Scieneering program.
  • Huanqing Liu of Amarillo, Texas, a junior majoring in computer science in the College of Engineering, will give a poster presentation titled, “Hierarchical temporal memory simulation using OOD and MVC.” Liu is in the Scieneering program.
  • Gregory Rodden of Potomac, Md., a senior majoring in human nutrition, foods, and exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will give a poster presentation titled, “Chronic low-dose endotoxin treatment suppresses insulin signaling and impairs insulin-mediated glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscle cells.” Rodden was a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) at Fralin Life Science Institute.
  • Kaitlyn Andreano of Olean, N.Y., a senior majoring in biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will give a poster presentation titled, “Disabeled-2 (DAB-2) modulates platelet-cancer cell interactions through its sulfatide binding domain.”
  • Bryce Allen of Virginia Beach, Va., a junior majoring in biological sciences in the College of Science, will give a poster presentation titled, “The role of cask in neurodevelopment.” Allen is in the Scieneering program.

“Conferences allow students the opportunity to think about their work and explain its relevance to the academic community and general population,” said Tomalei Vess, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. “The National Conference on Undergraduate Research gives students an even larger audience to share their discoveries with while also learning from their peers and other mentors in attendance.”

Students from more than 300 colleges and universities will be represented at the conference. Organizers expect over 3,000 people are expected to attend.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

Share this story