DSU Announces Presenters for Ninth-Annual UCUR Conference

Wednesday, January 28th, 2015 Dixie State University will welcome undergraduate researchers from across the state as host the Ninth-Annual Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research (UCUR) on Friday, February 27. This all-day event will feature a number of presentations and speakers in several sessions held in the DSU Gardner Center and Holland Centennial Commons. Modeled after the national NCUR organization, the UCUR celebrates academic, professional and personal achievement resulting from undergraduate research projects or creative endeavors. Undergraduates from all disciplines are invited to apply to the conference, which provides an excellent opportunity for students to present work in a scholarly setting to their peers, faculty, field specialists and community members. With conference topics stretching from humanities to physical sciences, DSU has selected three diverse speakers varying from a wide range of expertise to deliver keynote and breakout sessions. Each speaker will present on how the value of undergraduate research plays an important role in student's preparation for graduate school and future employment. Opening the conference is keynote speaker Dr. Lincoln Nadauld, director of Cancer Genomics at Intermountain Healthcare. Dr. Nadauld received his medical and doctoral degrees from the University Of Utah School Of Medicine in 2007, and continued his postdoctoral education at Stanford University. In 2012, he received the Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The first morning breakout session will feature a presentation by DSU alumnus and distinguished pathologist and researcher Dr. Gregory Prince. Prince is best known for his work and research in the prevention of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among high-risk infants. A 1967 graduate of then-Dixie College as the 1967 valedictorian, he attended the UCLA School of Dentistry from 1969-73, where he earned his DDS degree and graduated as class valedictorian. Prince then completed his Ph.D. in Pathology at UCLA in 1975. Dr. Prince currently sits on the National Advisory Councils for DSU, the University of Utah, and Johns Hopkins University School of Education. The afternoon breakout session will be conducted by Dr. Brenton Scott, who serves as the AlphaDev Principle and COO of Pulmotect. Dr. Scott earned his MBA from the University of Houston simultaneously with his doctoral degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Rice University in 2005. In 2012, Scott's company, Pulmotect, won a grant award from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to advance patents for the activation of innate lung immunity defenses. DSU students, faculty and staff, and the community are invited to attend the keynote and breakout presentations. Keynote speaker Dr. Lincoln Nadauld will open the conference at 9 a.m. in the Gardner Center Ballroom. Both breakout sessions will be held in Room 457 of the Holland Centennial Commons, with Dr. Prince's presentation beginning at 10:30 a.m., followed by Dr. Brenton's session at 1 p.m. For a complete list of UCUR events or for more information, please visit www.utahtech.edu/ucur.