Six JMU Students to Present at Graduate Student Research Forum

Six James Madison University graduate students will present their research at the Fourth Annual Graduate Student Research Forum Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Library of Virginia in Richmond. 

The forum, sponsored by the Virginia Council of Graduate Schools, showcases graduate student research and scholarship across Virginia. It also highlights the benefits of graduate education to the economic, social and civic development of the commonwealth. Attendees include members of the General Assembly and their staffs, industry representatives, faculty, administrators and the general public. 

After completing their studies, many of these graduate students become leaders in the skilled workforce addressing significant economic and social challenges such as healthcare, the environment, transportation, teaching and homeland security. 

The six JMU graduate students will be among more than 60 students showcasing their research at this year's forum. JMU students will present research in the areas of healthcare, the arts and humanities, and integrated science and technology. The topics will be: Motor Recovery Approaches Used to Rehabilitate Central Nervous System Dysfunction in Adult Patients after Stroke (Jennifer Becker, Occupational Therapy); Caregivers and Stroke - Identifying Needs to Create Normalcy and Sustain Quality of Life on a Daily Basis (Sarah Coffey, Occupational Therapy); Determination of Diagnostic Predictors of Heart Failure (William Shelly, Integrated Science and Technology); Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy - Reviver and Reconciler (Anna More, Music); Dead End Kids on a Leaky Boat: An Examination of Irish Punk (Jeffrey Borowiec, Music); and Could Lithuania be a Valuable U.S. Ally? A Comparative Statistical GIS Analysis (Daniel Kitchie, Integrated Science and Technology). 

More information about VCGS and the research forum can be found at www.vacgs.net. 

The Virginia Council of Graduate Schools promotes the benefits of graduate education to the Commonwealth of Virginia. VCGS is comprised of 13 public colleges and universities: Christopher Newport University, the College of William & Mary, George Mason University, James Madison University, Longwood University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Radford University, the University of Mary Washington, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University and Virginia Tech.