Biology student wins award for medicinal plants research

A UCF College of Sciences undergraduate student, Jessica Pirkey, recently traveled to the 4th International Conference on Medicinal Plants & Herbal Products during this weekend at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland.

Pirkey, participated in the conference and presented her research, which won the “Best Student Poster Award.”

Her research, under the guidance of UCF Biology Instructor Dr.Rani Vajravelu, focuses on testing the antibacterial and antiviral effects of traditionally used medicinal plants of both India and North America.

The aim of the Conference  is to provide a platform for eminent researchers, academicians, physicians, traditional medical practitioners, manufacturers & exporters of herbal products, representative of the corporate sector, marketing consultants and NGOs from all over the world.

This conference is jointly organized by  St. Laurent Institute (SLI) (Genoma Ayurveda) & George Washington University, Washington DC in collaboration with S.V. University, Tirupati, India, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and GDP Ayurvedic University (GDPAU), New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, International Council for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ICMAP), American Academy of Ayurvedic Medicine, Inc. (AAAM) USA, and the support of  Biotechnology Center, Maryland, USA, Embassy of India, Washington D.C.,  Amarex Clinical Research, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd, Pune, India.