The Office of Undergraduate Research sent six students to the 12th Annual Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Meeting of the Minds Conference, held on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, March 31 to April 2. 

Funded by ACC athletics, the Meeting of the Minds conference demonstrates both the collaborative relationship that exists between athletics and academics and the conference’s commitment to excellence in education. The annual meeting offers an opportunity for all 15 ACC member schools to come together to recognize and celebrate undergraduate students’ achievements in research and creative scholarship.

Virginia Tech students who presented this year were selected based on their performances at the Dennis Dean Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship Conference held at Virginia Tech in March. They are:

“Conferences like Meeting of the Minds allow students to share and defend their work with a broad audience of peers and professionals,” said Keri Swaby, coordinator of the Office of Undergraduate Research. “This forces students to be very thoughtful and intentional about their communication. They need to understand their subject matter at such a level that they are able to break it down to its essence and communicate effectively to a lay person. This particular conference is small enough and planned in such a way that students really get the chance to network and interact with each other, making it both informative and a lot of fun.”

Applications to represent Virginia Tech at the ACC Meeting of the Minds open annually at the beginning of the spring semester. Presenters’ travel, room, and board are fully supported.

Information about this and other opportunities for undergraduate students to conduct and present research can be found on the website of the Office of Undergraduate Research

Written by Melissa Ripepi

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