February 26, 2010 — University of Virginia graduate students will present their research at the Fifth Annual Graduate Student Research Forum on March 4 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Library of Virginia in Richmond.

The forum is sponsored by the Virginia Council of Graduate Schools. Its purpose is to showcase graduate student research and scholarship across the commonwealth of Virginia. It also highlights the benefits of graduate education to the economic, social and civic development of the state. Attendees include members of the General Assembly and their staffs, industry representatives, faculty and administrators from across the commonwealth and the general public.

Among the more than 60 participants will be U.Va. students Perry Kennedy (pharmacology), Maura McEwan (chemical engineering), Karl Ottmar (civil and environmental engineering), Tamim Sookoor (computer science), Alyssa Taylor (biomedical engineering) and Trisha Vickrey (chemistry).
 
Topics will range from the impact of the Chesapeake Bay "dead zone" on marine sediment quality to the fate of prescription pharmaceuticals found in Virginia wastewater systems.  Much of the research aligns with the priorities of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, demonstrating the critical link between university research and the economic development of the commonwealth and the well-being of its citizens.

The Virginia Council of Graduate Schools comprises 13 public colleges and universities. In addition to U.Va., its members are Christopher Newport University, the College of William & Mary, George Mason University, James Madison University, Longwood University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Radford University, the University of Mary Washington, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University and Virginia Tech.

For information, visit the council's Web site.