Ashley Utz knows that over-the-counter medications like Prilosec and Prevacid are typically used to treat ulcers, reflux and other common stomach disorders. But the senior biochemistry major has a theory that these drugs, known as proton-pump inhibitors (PPI), could also help destroy cancer cells.
Tomorrow, along with more than 100 of her University of Mary Washington peers, Utz will share this trailblazing research, which she’s toiled away on in Jepson Science Center labs for the past year, in the midst of a global pandemic. The 15th annual UMW Research and Creativity Symposium, held virtually again this year due to COVID-19, will put a spotlight on one of Mary Washington’s top priorities: undergraduate research. Featuring PDF posters and oral synopses on video, Thursday’s presentations will span disciplines from science to sociology, math to music and classics to communication and will remain accessible through Friday for questions and comments.
“When students discover how to pursue and investigate their own research questions, interpret the information they uncover and communicate their findings, it brings their learning to life and puts the knowledge and skills they’ve gained into practice,” said College of Arts and Sciences Assistant Dean Betsy Lewis, who described her own undergraduate research experiences as “life-changing.” Read more.
The University of Mary Washington is a premier, selective public liberal arts and sciences university in Virginia, highly respected for its commitment to academic excellence, strong undergraduate liberal arts and sciences program, and dedication to life-long learning. The university, with a total enrollment of more than 4,000, features colleges of business, education and arts and sciences, and three campuses, including a residential campus in Fredericksburg, Va., a second one in nearby Stafford and a third in Dahlgren, Va., which serves as a center of development of educational and research partnerships between the Navy, higher education institutions and the region’s employers
