Graduate students share work at inaugural research showcase at Academic Building One
The March 26 event was part of the Graduate Education Week celebration of students and programs across the greater Washington, D.C., metro area.
Academic Building One’s Boeing Auditorium hummed with animated conversation as more than two dozen graduate students presented their work at a research showcase held during Virginia Tech’s Graduate Education Week.
The students came from programs and throughout the greater Washington, D.C., metro area, and graduate students from a wide range of programs came to the showcase to see and hear about their colleagues’ work, presented on posters and in animated computer displays. The presenters also toured the showcase, making friends and finding areas of shared interest across their programs. Faculty, staff members, and the public also attended the event.
Celebrating students
The showcase was one of several events and activities the Graduate School sponsored in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area during Graduate Education Week. The focus of the week is to celebrate students and programs. Associate Dean Barbara Hoopes said her team wanted to bring students from different locations, programs, and degree aspirations together to make connections. Some activities, such as the showcase, were about the work, and some, such as a bingo and pizza evening, were for fun and to encourage students to get to know peers from other programs.
“We wanted to provide students with an opportunity to share their work and also to meet students from other programs,” Hoopes said. “I was happy to see the conversations taking place and the interest in developing connections.”
Presenting work and meeting new people
Sara Alsalamah, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Science, drew a steady stream of visitors to her presentation about creating a patient-centered virtual hospital ecosystem, using artificial intelligence to address security and access. “I’m really interested in health care domains,” she said, adding that her focus is to help traditional hospitals in rural and low-population areas who may not have staff who can address all of their patients’ needs and conditions. A native of Saudi Arabia, she has focused on her country’s efforts to connect hospitals and already has published two articles about her research. Alsalamah is based in Academic Building One and made a point to visit other presentations and meet peers from other programs. “This is great,” she said. “It’s always nice meeting other students and [seeing] their work.”
Kaylah Qassis, a student in the Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences program, focusing on applied nutrition and physical activity, also had people flock to her work. She is a student based in Alexandria and is working with clinical dietitians to help them increase their knowledge of populations more prone to eating disorders. One such population is armed services veterans, she said, drawing surprised looks from her audience. She said the proclivity likely comes from the regimented lifestyle of military service. Qassis will complete the internship associated with her research this summer and plans to graduate in August. She also enjoyed the showcase. “I’m pleased to be able to present my work to people outside my rotations and program,” she said.
'I love this'
MD Shazalal Tushar, a Ph.D. student in the planning, governance, and globalization program based in Arlington, discussed bikeshare programs and transit systems with his audiences. He is researching ways to increase bikeshare usage to connect to Metrorail and is studying neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. “Adding more bikeshares in higher density areas likely would increase usage,” he said. As the event drew to a close, he still was attracting visitors to his work. “This is a good opportunity to share what I have done and to meet new people,” he said.
Rasha Al-Ali is a translational biology, medicine, and health Ph.D. student based at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C. Her presentation focused on a mutated gene linked to rare and highly fatal blood cancer, acute myeloid leukemia. Al-Ali is dedicated to preventing this cancer's relapse and mortality by investigating persistent, sneaky cancer cells that can remain in the body even when patients appear to be in remission or cancer-free. She credited her mentor, Professor Christopher Hourigan, with encouraging her to participate in the showcase. “As soon as he mentioned it, I submitted my application,” she said. Glancing at the students around her and the visitors engaging with each exhibit, she smiled and added, “I love this. I love collaboration.”
Hoopes said the research showcase now will be a part of the annual Graduate Education Week celebration and she hopes it grows larger so more students can share the work they are doing in the programs based in the D.C. area.