Charleston, W.Va. – Some of the most respected names in the nation’s scientific community will be guest speakers at an upcoming science conference including U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Subra Suresh, and noted solar system exploration engineer Gentry Lee.
These speakers and others are scheduled for the 4th biennial Science, Technology & Research (STaR) Symposium and West Virginia Academy of Science (WVAS) annual meeting to be held April 20-21 on the campus of West Virginia State University in Institute.
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (Commission) through the Division of Science and Research, along with the WVAS, is co-sponsoring the event. Event Information, including a detailed agenda and registration information, is available at www.wvresearch.org. Registration will be available at the event.
The two-day event, focusing on Innovation, From Concept to Commercialization, will feature a multitude of speakers from across West Virginia, many who have successfully transitioned scientific research from the laboratory to the marketplace in order to generate revenue and create jobs. Speakers will also provide advice to aspiring scientists and researchers.
“On behalf of the state’s higher education system, I am excited to host a scientific conference with speakers of this caliber,” said Dr. Paul L. Hill, the Commission’s Chancellor, who will speak during the event about his science education while growing up in the Mountain State.
Chancellor Hill previously served as the Commission’s Vice Chancellor for Science and Research and was principal investigator for several multi-million dollar research grants. Chancellor Hill noted, “West Virginia has been able to successfully compete for federal research dollars due to the leadership of Dr. Suresh and the mission of EPSCoR, an NSF program that encourages competitive research.” Chancellor Hill added, “Senator Rockefeller has served as an advocate for research funding by working tirelessly to provide competitive funding opportunities for deserving researchers across the nation.”
The program will consist of four panel presentations including: biotechnology start up success stories; transforming discovery into a successful product; government and private groups available to help; and research funding opportunities within West Virginia. Each panel will include expert speakers in those fields and will be moderated by Lindsay Emery from West Virginia University’s Office of Research and Economic Development; Anne Barth from TechConnectWV; Charlotte Weber from the Robert C. Byrd Institute of Advanced Flexible Manufacturing; and Dr. Jan Taylor from the Commission’s Division of Science and Research.
The event also features science students from West Virginia colleges and universities, who will be competing for awards for their scientific abstracts and poster presentations. Other awards presented at the Symposium and WVAS meeting will include: the Science Teacher of the Year and a student competition for High-Performance Computational Resources.
More information regarding the upcoming event is available at www.wvresearch.org/starsymposium.