NDSU coatings and polymeric materials graduate researcher Kristen Patnode will present a live oral presentation during the American Oil Chemists' Society Annual Meeting & Expo ePoster Pitch Competition. Patnode’s presentation is entitled “Protein-ligand Docking as a Tool to Predict Properties and Performance of Plant-protein Based Bioplastics Films." There are seven divisions in the ePoster Pitch Competition and only five student poster presenters in each are selected to give live 5-minute oral presentations. Patnode will present her poster in the Edible Applications Technology Division on Tuesday, May 4 at 2 pm (CDT). All viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite pitch at the end of each competition and awards will be presented for first and second place.

Patnode is a member of NDSU professor Andriy Voronov’s coatings and polymeric materials lab. “Kristen successfully combines computational and experimental strategies to develop novel bioplastics in her project,” he commented. “It was exciting to learn that her presentation was chosen for the final competition at this prominent professional conference – it’s an indication of Kristen’s research work quality. I wish her a successful pitch presentation.”

The AOCS Student ePoster Pitch Competition gives student researchers an opportunity to highlight their achievements, demonstrate their ability in scientific presentations, and receive important feedback and mentoring from industry leaders. The AOCS Student ePoster Pitch Competition occurs during the AOCS Annual Meeting which is a premier international science and business forum on fats, oils, surfactants, proteins and related materials.

Patnode’s live oral presentation will be available on the AOCS website:https://annualmeeting.aocs.org/technical-program/eposter-pitch-competition