RENO — Members of the public are invited to attend the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s 27th annual George G. Bierkamper Student Research Convocation on Jan. 19. More than 30 graduate and medical students will participate in the convocation, which will be held in the Pennington Medical Education Building at the medical school campus in Reno and teleconferenced to the pediatric conference room in Las Vegas.

The convocation provides students the opportunity to present original research to a group of their peers and mentors.

Students participating in the convocation will be evaluated by a panel of judges from the school of medicine faculty. They may compete in either the graduate student category or medical student category and will be judged based upon the quality of their research, findings and presentation. The top student in each category will receive a cash award as well as recognition for their achievement during school of medicine commencement ceremonies in May.

Student presentations will be held from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with a break for lunch. Distinguished guest lecturer is Sanford H. Barsky, M.D., chair of the school’s pathology department and a noted breast cancer researcher. He will give his address at 5 p.m. in the Pennington Foyer and speak on “Pseudomyxoma Pertonei and the Repayment of Debt.”

The Bierkamper Student Research Convocation recognizes the excellence of the medical school students as well as that of faculty and staff who diligently mentor students throughout their research process. All research presented by students at the convocation is original and conducted in addition to their coursework.

The convocation was started as a formal activity of the school of medicine in 1983; however, the event has carried the name of professor George Gwyne Bierkamper since his death in 1988.

For more information, visit www.medicine.nevada.edu.