Collegiate Times

Aaron Rudd, a junior in HNFE, works on research on skeletal muscle fibers in the CRC. Rudd will present his findings at Meeting of the Minds.

"When the bay freezes in the winter, ice will move across the bay and run into the platforms, which will make the platforms unserviceable," Haak said. "So my research was to look up ways to minimize the vibration that can happen whenever they collide with ice and what is the best method to do that."

Raymond Plaut, D. H. Pletta professor of civil and environmental engineering, kept in touch with Haak during his time in China and when he returned, encouraged him to submit his work to the conference.

"Dr. Plaut helped me edit and organize my research and encouraged me to apply," Haak said.

Aaron Rudd, a junior human nutrition, fitness and exercise major, also has his mentor to thank for much of his success. Rudd was a part of the HNFE's summer scholars program and began his research studying the role of the gene Nhlh2 in skeletal muscle tissue as it relates to obesity and reduced activity. His mentor, Deborah J. Good, started researching the gene over 10 years ago.

"Dr. Good, she was the one who pushed to apply the ACC Meeting of the Minds," Rudd said. "She definitely pushes me in the right direction and gets me to take initiatives I may not normally take."

Lucas also credits his mentor, Carla Finkielstein, assistant professor of biological sciences, for suggesting that he apply for the Meeting of the Minds.

"Carla told me about the conference, so we got together and talked about it and decided it would be a good idea," Lucas said.  He looks forward not only to his personal success but the success of his department.

"All of my accomplishments are also hers," Lucas said. "We share the accomplishments with our lab."

Despite the great honor and accolade that comes with being accepted into the conference, nerves don't seem to pose much of a threat to these scholars.

"I'm pretty comfortable with the information I'm going to present, so I'm not too nervous about it," Rudd said.

Haak agrees that nerves take a backseat when they know that the university is fully supportive of their research endeavors. "One of the best things about going to a school like Virginia Tech is that people really look out for you if you do good research," Haak said. "And if you do well, the school will totally support you."

Continue Reading:  « Previous12