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Top news from the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Virginia.
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New & Noteworthy
November 2013

Inaugural 'Three-Minute' Thesis Competition Challenges Grad Students to Explain Their Work
Office of the VP for Research
Graduate students spend years working on thought-provoking, complex research projects that can benefit society and develop their expertise in a field. But when it comes to explaining their work to people unfamiliar with their discipline, many students find themselves at a loss for words. UVA hosted its first annual Universitas 21 Three Minute Thesis Competition – which, fittingly, was abbreviated as “3MT” – with an aim to turn the frustrating process of explaining complicated research accurately and quickly into an opportunity for graduate students. CONTINUE READING

Genetic Diversity in the Brain: Neurons within a person's brain exhibit striking variations in DNA copy number
School of Medicine

Genomic analyses of single human neurons—either from postmortem brains or those derived in culture—reveal a considerable degree of DNA copy number variation, according to a paper published today (October 31) in Science.  Ira Hall, a professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics was one of the lead authors on the new study.  CONTINUE READING


Student Team Advances to Final Round of an International Genetic Engineering Championship
School of Engineering and Applied Science
A student team will compete in the final round of an international genetic engineering competition with a “biobrick” that could address longstanding biosafety issues in synthetic biology. CONTINUE READING


NASA Selects Spacecraft Design Class to Fly Experiment on High-Altitude Balloon
School of Engineering and Applied Science

The Spacecraft Design Team is among 10 teams in the U.S. selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to design, build and fly a science experiment aboard a suborbital flight vehicle. The UVA team – the only one chosen from Virginia – will fly its experiment on a NASA high-altitude balloon platform floated 23 miles into the stratosphere next September in New Mexico. CONTINUE READING

Language-Gap Study Bolsters a Push for Pre-K
Curry School of Education

Literacy experts emphasize the importance of natural conversations with children, asking questions while reading books, and helping children identify words during playtime. Even these simple principles may be hard to implement, some educators say, because preschool instructors are often paid far less than public schoolteachers and receive scant training. In one study, Robert Pianta, dean of the Curry School of Education, found that in observations of 700 preschool classrooms across 11 states, teachers in less than 15 percent of the classes demonstrated “effective teacher-student interactions.” CONTINUE READING

'Potential Breakthrough' for breast cancer treatment
School of Medicine

Scientists said the treatment was “the great hope” for women around the world, because current drugs taken by those approaching the menopause have been repeatedly linked with a higher risk of the disease. Experts said they believed the pill could also protect millions of breast cancer survivors who choose, because of side effects, to stop taking long-term medication to prevent the disease returning.  Trials involving more than 6,000 women found that the new HRT pill dramatically reduced menopausal symptoms and cut rates of osteoporosis. …Prof Richard Santen was part of the team that developed the drug. He said: “If this does what we think it does, this is huge.” CONTINUE READING


i.Lab Unites Entrepreneurs From the University, Local Community
Darden School of Business

As one expert put it, “Entrepreneurship is a contact sport fueled by caffeine.” Local startups are also drawing fuel from the Darden School’s network of experts, and from one another. CONTINUE READING

Chopra, Huffington Lead Meditation on the Lawn
College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

About 200 people sat on the Lawn in complete silence, eyes closed and palms open, as they listened to the instruction of renowned holistic health expert Dr. Deepak Chopra. He was in town with media mogul Arianna Huffington to lead members of the public in a 10-minute meditation session.  CONTINUE READING


Researchers Find "Genetic Mosaic" in Brain
School of Medicine

Researchers have found what they call an "unexpected genetic mosaic" in the brain. The scientists say this discovery may help explain disorders largely thought to be linked to a single gene. “It just opens up whole new ways to think about genetics and especially neuropsychiatric disorders,” said Mike McConnell, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics. CONTINUE READING


Study Aims to Better Understand Concussions in High School, College Athletes
School of Medicine, Curry School of Education

To better measure the effects and causes of sports concussions, researchers plan to track 130 student-athletes in three sports over the next year. Neuroradiologist Dr. Jason Druzgal is leading the study’s multidisciplinary research team, which includes neuropsychologist Donna Broshek, pediatric neurologist Dr. Howard Goodkin and kinesiologist Susan Saliba. They will follow football, men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse student-athletes from U.Va.; the study will also track student-athletes in the same sports from St. Anne’s-Belfield, a Charlottesville-area high school. CONTINUE READING
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