King University is proud to host the 29th Annual Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference on April 14, 2023. Undergraduate students from institutions throughout the Southern Appalachian region will be chosen to present their research projects in a comfortable setting surrounded by other researchers and faculty. This year’s conference will be a one-day event, with sessions starting mid-morning. There will also be a poster session and a reception for all participants and faculty. On April 14, 2023, the conference will take place in King University’s Student Center Complex, located at their campus in Bristol, Tennessee.
King University is proud to host the 29th Annual Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference on April 14, 2023. Undergraduate students from institutions throughout the Southern Appalachian region will be selected to present their research projects in a comfortable setting surrounded by other students and faculty. Students may choose to present a paper presentation or a poster presentation.
There is a $30 registration fee to attend the conference. The fee may be paid online, by check, or in cash. Once registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation email with important conference details. This information may also be found on the conference website. Students wishing to present at the conference will need to submit the proposal form, including a 200-word abstract, by March 20, 2023.
Presentation sessions will be grouped by discipline. Each researcher will present orally with a PowerPoint or other visual aids. Students should be prepared to present for 12 minutes with an additional 3 minutes for questions. Presenters should dress in business attire as ready for a professional meeting. A separate space will be set up for poster presentations.
General registration for the conference will be accepted up to and on the day of the conference. Early registration is strongly encouraged; refunds will not be given after April 3. The deadline for submitting abstracts for presentations is March 20, 2023.
- 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. Registration
- 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Keynote Speaker
- 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Lunch
- 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Poster Session
- 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Session One
- 2:45 – 3:45 p.m. Session Two
- 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Session Three
- 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. Closing
- Phone: 276.591.4400
- Address: 3169 Linden Dr., Bristol, VA 24201
Demisha Porter will be the key note speaker
Presentation Title: "Journey to Research: Is there a right or wrong choice?"
Demisha Porter is currently investigating the mysteries of the human brain! As an undergraduate student, she contributed towards a study that utilized RNAi to determine novel genes linked to nicotine and Parkinson’s disease. She was also a scholar in the VCU Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program, focusing on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and furthering understanding of secondary insults resulting from TBI for the development of effective therapeutics. Demisha is currently a neuroscience PhD candidate in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health program at Virginia Tech, where her research interests focus on using biomedical microdevices and molecular biology to study neurogenesis.
During her first year of graduate school, Demisha developed a strong passion for understanding commercialization, and integrating academic innovations with entrepreneurial spirit. Thus, she participated in the Health, Science, and Technology Commercialization Fellowship at VTCRI as well as a 2019 MedTech Scholar. She has delivered over 10 impactful neurodevelopment research presentations at national and international meetings, and successfully published 3 biomedical research manuscripts and articles.
