On April 3, Case Western Reserve University will be hosting its first ever Cancer Research Fair, run by Colleges Against Cancer (CAC). The event, which runs from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Thwing Center Ballroom, will showcase students who are currently doing research on different cancer types with poster displays.

CAC member and sophomore biomedical engineering major Zachary Flohr hopes that the event will showcase the CWRU community’s contributions to the field. He also hopes that the display will highlight CAC’s ultimate goals of promoting cancer research and further analyzing previous findings of other researchers.

Heidi Schmidt, sophomore and director of advocacy and community outreach for CAC, is also excited to be a part of this event. This year marks two years of her involvement with the group, and the fair reminds her of why she chose to be a part of CAC while studying in college.

“When I was in sixth grade, my cousin Bill passed away from lung cancer,” Schmidt said. “I saw the emotional impact a cancer diagnosis and battle can have on an entire family, so I started my own nonprofit to raise money for the Hillman Cancer Center. I felt that CAC was a good fit for my passion and an excellent way to continue the work I did in middle and high school.”

The Cancer Research Fair will be open to the public, and any undergraduate or graduate student can submit a project. The submission deadline for presenting at the event is March 20. If you fit the credentials and would like to be a part of the fair, you must fill out the online application form, include your abstract and submit a copy of your poster on OrgSync. All entries will be judged by a panel full of leaders in Cleveland’s medical community.

The winner of the competition will receive a special prize, while the onlookers get to observe the posters and hear about the great research being done. They will also be able to hear from three speakers, including physics professor Robert Brown and an individual from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.