More than 600 CWRU faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, along with investigators from CWRU-affiliated institutions, will display their latest research at the University's Research ShowCASE 2003 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 4 in the Veale Center.

"We've been delighted with the overwhelming response to our invitation to participate in this event," said Eric Cottington, associate vice president for research administration. "It shows there is a great eagerness on the part of our faculty and students to share the results of their research with others at the University and in the wider community."

In order to accommodate as many research displays as possible, the event has expanded from its original location in the Veale Convocation Center to include Adelbert Gymnasium. In addition, the vendor fair planned to accompany the event has been cancelled in order to make more room inside Veale.

The keynote address will take place in Strosacker Auditorium. Delivering it will be Shirley Tilghman, president of Princeton University and professor of molecular biology.

A total of 621 research projects will be on display during the event. Of those 481, or 77 percent, will come from CWRU faculty, graduate, undergraduate and professional students, postdoctoral fellows and staff. The remaining 140 will be displayed by researchers at CWRU's affiliated institutions, including the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (68), MetroHealth Medical Center (32), University Hospitals of Cleveland (27) and the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (13).

Among CWRU schools and colleges, the most heavily represented will be the School of Medicine, with 268 displays, and the Case School of Engineering, with 148. They are followed by the College of Arts and Sciences (86), the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing (21), the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (13), the School of Dentistry (12) and the Weatherhead School of Management (five).

"These numbers are about what we expected, and the range of submissions from across the University is encouraging," Cottington said.

The displays will be grouped into 13 broad categories that capture the breadth and interdisciplinary nature of research and scholarship at CWRU and its affiliated institutions. The groupings include molecule, cell, tissue, organ, system, human, population, world and universe along with materials, methods/processes, models/images and devices/therapies.

Judith Maloni, associate professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, will be displaying her research into "Adverse Side Effects of Antepartum Hospital Bed Rest."

"I think it's a neat event. I'm really looking forward to learning what my colleagues outside of nursing are doing and how our research interests might interact," she said.

Ali Vali, a post-doctoral researcher in electrical engineering and computer science at the Case School of Engineering, will have a poster display titled "End of the Oil Era: With a Whisper or a Bang?"

"I want to showcase not only the results of our research, but the kind of research we are doing, which examine long-term trends in energy usage and examines questions from a multi-disciplinary perspective," Vali said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to explain this work."

Undergraduate students are a new addition to the list of presenters.

"These are students who have been working with faculty on research projects, who took the initiative to submit this work to Research ShowCASE as the presenter, and we felt that they should be given the opportunity to take part," Cottington said.

Research ShowCASE is presented with the support of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Cleveland Magazine, Ideastream (WVIZ/WCPN) and Crain's Cleveland Business.

More information about Research ShowCASE 2003 is available on the Web at http://www.cwru.edu/menu/showcase/.