Undergraduate students to present research at Capitol

Undergraduate students from all over the state will gather at the state Capitol to showcase their research for the 10th Annual Undergraduate Research Day.

Marshall University students will take part in the event Thursday and a total of 100 students will be in attendance.

Erin Fankhanel, pre-med sophomore biology major from Hurricane, W.Va., will be one of the students presenting research.

“I’m really excited,” Fankhanel said. “This is the first time I’ve ever presented anything.  I’m really looking forward to it.”

The students will set up posters describing their work in the rotunda of the Capitol.  Legislators, the general public and fellow students will be able to ask questions about the work.

Fankhanel said she and others will get a chance to present their work to legislators in order to show where and what funding has gone towards.

The research includes work with kidney damage, advanced research computer programs and psychology studies.

Fankhanel said she was working with Eric Blough, associate professor of pharmacology, and testing the use of nanoparticles for the treatment of organ dysfunction.

“Our main focus is sepsis, which is a bacterial infection in the blood,” Fankhanel said. “It is a really big problem in hospitals, especially in ICU.”

Chief of Staff Matt Turner said President Stephen Kopp took pride in the opportunity for undergraduate students to take part in research.

“When you think of research, you think of upper level professors with a Ph.D., but this is an opportunity for a student with just a couple years of schooling under their belt to take part in research,” Turner said.

The College of Science has many opportunities for students to work with a professor on research.

Fankhanel said she is thankful for the opportunity to take part in research at events such as Undergraduate Research Day.

“It is so exciting because that is what I want to do,” Fankhanel said.

The event will conclude with a luncheon where students will be able to further discuss their findings and projects with each other and legislators.

Fourteen other universities and colleges including West Virginia University, West Virginia Wesleyan and Concord University will also represented at the event.

Taylor Stuck can be contacted at stuck7@marshall.edu.