Missouri Western State University will inaugurate a new series of presentations, the Missouri Western Symposium on Applied Learning, with a talk titled “A New Virus in the Heartland” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6 in Agenstein Hall, room 324. The event is free and open to the public.
“Missouri Western has a long history of encouraging students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in real-world settings, a history recognized by the legislature in 2005 when the Missouri General Assembly designated Missouri Western as a statewide institution of applied learning,” said Dr. Murray Nabors, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences and coordinator of the symposium. “A majority of our students are involved in some form of applied learning activity before they graduate through faculty-student research projects, internships and other activities. We’re pleased to begin this series to let others learn more about some of the exciting work our faculty and staff are doing.”
Each symposium in the series will consist of two parts: a focused presentation about a career-relevant applied learning activity, followed by a reception which will give attendees the opportunity to talk to the evening’s speakers as well as faculty and students presenting their projects in poster form.
Dr. Scott Folk, Heartland Health, invited Dr. Ashely and his students to participate in the investigation of the newly discovered virus.The first presenters will be Dr. Scott Folk of Heartland Health and Dr. David Ashley, professor of biology. They will describe the collaboration between scientists from the Centers for Disease Control, Heartland staff, and Missouri Western faculty and students in the original description of a new virus found in northwest Missouri patients and the subsequent investigations to determine how it was spread through ticks.
The reception and poster session following the presentation will be held in the Remington Hall Atrium.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.