Month: December 2017

• Student Accomplishments – December 2017

accomplishments-heading

Please join us in congratulating the UConn undergraduates named below for their significant research and creative accomplishments in summer and fall 2017. Students: if you have an accomplishment to share, please do so using this online form.

AWARDS

Congratulations to Catherine Cabano ’18 (CAHNR) and Alexander Holmgren ’18 (CLAS), UConn’s two undergraduate representatives at the Universitas 21 Research Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland in June 2017.


PUBLICATIONS

Nicole Gomez ’18 (CLAS) was a co-author on a recent publication from Jessica Rouge’s lab:

Santiana, J. J., Sui, B., Gomez, N., & Rouge, J. L. (2017). Programmable Peptide-Cross-Linked Nucleic Acid Nanocapsules as a Modular Platform for Enzyme Specific Cargo Release. Bioconjugate Chemistry. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00629

Naseem Sardashti ’18 (ENG), an undergraduate in the Health Research Program, was a co-author on a recent publication based on research conducted with Dr. Sangamesh Kumbar at UConn Health:

Manoukian, O. S., Arul, M. R., Sardashti, N., Stedman, T., James, R., Rudraiah, S., & Kumbar, S. G. (2017). Biodegradable polymeric injectable implants for long-term delivery of contraceptive drugs. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 135, 46068. doi: 10.1002/app.46068

Zachary Stempel ’18 (CLAS), a member of William Bailey’s lab, was the second author on two recent publications in Organic Letters and The Journal of Organic Chemistry:

Lambert, K. M., Stempel, Z. D., Wiberg, K. B., & Bailey, W. F. (2017). Experimental Demonstration of a Sizeable Nonclassical CH···G Hydrogen Bond in Cyclohexane Derivatives: Stabilization of an Axial Cyano Group. Organic Letters, 19(23), 6408-6411. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.7b03287

Lambert, K. M., Stempel, Z. D., Kiendzior, S. M., Bartelson, A. L., & Bailey, W. F. (2017). Enhancement of the Oxidizing Power of an Oxoammonium Salt by Electronic Modification of a Distal Group. The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 82(21), 11440-11446. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.7b01965

 


SUMMER RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Pierre Fils ’18 (ENG) conducted research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the Climate Change Science Institute. Pierre had the opportunity to work on mid-scale, high performance computing clusters to analyze climate data with the goal of redesigning the ASHRAE Climate Zones.

Chelsea Garcia
Chelsea Garcia ’20 (CAHNR)

Chelsea Garcia ’20 (CAHNR) participated in the Bridging the Gap Program funded by the USDA and coordinated by the Department of Nutritional Sciences. Dr. Christopher Blesso served as Chelsea’s research mentor for the summer experience. She presented her research poster, “Effects of Grape Consumption on Postprandial Response to a High Saturated Fat Test Meal,” at the Summer Research Poster Symposium in August.

Mark Garcia ’20 (CLAS) completed a research internship in Dr. Peter Raymond’s Biogeochemistry Laboratory at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

Djion A. Holness ’19 (CAHNR) spent her summer at the University of Georgia engaged in research through an NSF funded REU program. Djion conducted veterinary diagnostic research exploring patters of co-infection in domestic dogs along the Panama Canal.

Two students spent the summer engaged in research at The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, FL. Through an NSF funded REU program, Mirella Fernandez ’19 (CLAS) worked in the Page Laboratory studying the effects of a double mutant gene on three known phenotypes of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sarah Robbins ’18 (CAHNR, CLAS) conducted her summmer research in immunology under the direction of Dr. Matthew Pipkin. Sarah worked with in vivo models and RNAi silencing systems to identify transcription factors that function in CD8+ T cell development.

Tanya Miller
Tanya Miller ’20 (CLAS)

Tanya Miller ’20 (CLAS) participated in the Health Disparities Clinical Summer Research Fellowship Program through the UConn Health Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs (HCOP). Over the course of the seven week program, Tanya worked with the North Central Regional Mental Health Board under the direction of Quyen Truong, Outreach and Evaluation Manager, to research young adults’ opinions on health care. She presented her research “Community Conversation Among Young Adults on Health Care” at UConn Health in July.

Andrea Naranajo-Soledad ’19 (ENG) enjoyed the opportunity to work at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), a research-based university in China. Andrea studied photocatalytic, antifouling and humic acid removal properties of a membrane used for ultrafiltration in water.

Brittany Nelson ’19 (ENG) conducted research through the NSF REU program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. Brittany’s project focused on controlling the behavior of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs).

Kesan Samuel ’20 (CLAS) conducted field research at El Yunque Forest in Puerto Rico. Under the supervision of Dr. Steven Presley, Kesan studied gastropod and phasmid populations, assisting with sampling plots to identify and count various species.

Maya Schlesinger ’18 (CAHNR) completed a summer research fellowship at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. Maya studied a newly discovered parvovirus affecting Red Pandas at the San Diego Zoo. 

Anthonia Wray ’19 (CLAS), an NSF REU recipient, worked under the guidance of Dr. Jessica Plavicki in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Brown University. Anthonia studied the effects of AHR activation in the liver using zebrafish models.


PRESENTATIONS

David Bachoy
David Bachoy ’19 (CLAS)

Society for the Study of Human Development Biennial Meeting – October 6-8, 2017 – Providence, RI

David Bachoy ’19 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Associations Between Marijuana Use and Time Spent Playing Different Types of Video Games Alone and with Others

Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting – October 11-14, 2017 – Phoenix, AZ

Norah Cowley ’18 (ENG) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Analysis of Growth and Stiffness of Cancer Spheroids Using 3D-Printed Microtweezer Device

Norah Cowley
Norah Cowley ’18 (ENG)
Amisha Dave
Amisha Dave ’18 (ENG)

Amisha Dave ’18 (ENG) – OUR Travel Award recipient
mHealth Smartphone Application to Measure Risky Driving Behavior and Predict Crashes

Clinton Global Initiative University Conference (CGI U) – October 13-15, 2017 – Boston, MA 

Akshayaa Chittibabu ’19 (CLAS) – Selected as a student presenter

American Physical Society Division of Nuclear Physics Fall Meeting – October 25-28, 2017 – Pittsburgh, PA

Sam Markelon ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
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Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting – October 27-30, 2017 – Minneapolis, MN 

Katherine Saltzgiver
Katherine Saltzgiver ’18 (ENG)

Katherine Saltzgiver ’18 (ENG) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Production and Utilization of Biochar from the Slow Pyrolysis of Food Waste

Obesity Week 2017 – October 29-November 2, 2017 – Washington, DC

Christiana Field ’17 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Advances in Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose in Type-2 Diabetes: A Study on Patient Experiences

IEEE MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference – November 3-5, 2017 – Cambridge, MA

Xinkang Chen ’18 (ENG) &  Md Tanvirul Islam ’19 (ENG) – OUR Travel Award recipients
Comparison of Chirped and Unchirped Superlattices as Adjustable-Strain Platforms for Metamorphic InGaAs/GaAs Devices

Northeastern Glenn Symposium on Biology of Aging – November 9, 2017 – UConn Health, Farmington, CT

Jacob Macro ’19 (CLAS) & Pooja Patel ’18 (CLAS) – Health Research Program participants
Indy Reduction Maintains Fly Health and Homeostasis

Society for Neuroscience (SFN) Annual Meeting – November 11-15, 2017 – Washington, DC 

Danni Dong ’18 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Observational Learning: Comparing a Foraging and Aversive Motivated Task in Female Rats

Thomas Pietruszewski ’19 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Influence of the Social Environment on Female Rats Exploring a Novel Open Field

ASCB/EMBO 2017 Meeting – December 2-6, 2017 – Philadelphia, PA 

Alyssa Mathiowetz ’18 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Actin Nucleation Factors that Control Autophagy are Important for Zebrafish Organ Development

Xinkang Chen and Md Islam
Xinkang Chen ’18 (ENG) and Md Islam ’19 (ENG)
Pooja Patel and Jacob Macro
Pooja Patel ’18 (CLAS) and Jacob Macro ’19 (CLAS)
Danni Dong
Danni Dong ’18 (CLAS)

• Congratulations, 2018 SHARE Award Recipients!

We are delighted to announce the 13 student-faculty teams selected to receive awards for Spring 2018 and thank the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute for its generous support of two of these student awards. Congratulations to all award recipients!

SHARE Awards support undergraduate research apprenticeships in the social sciences, humanities, and arts, offering students majoring in these fields opportunities to develop inquiry skills and explore research interests early in their college careers.


Project Title: The Impact of an Outsider President on Candidate Emergence in Congressional Elections
Student Apprentice: Kyle Adams, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Paul Herrnson, Political Science

Project Title: Justice in the Dark: How Secretively Funded Campaign Advertisements Shape Judicial Campaigns
Student Apprentice: Erin Dennehy, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Virginia Hettinger, Political Science

Project Title: Interpersonal Coordination of Goal Directed Actions
Student Apprentice: John Farrar, Cognitive Science
Faculty Mentor: Adam Sheya, Psychological Sciences

UCHI LogoProject Title: The Scholio Project: Designing Online News Comments to Promote Intellectual Humility in Public Discourse
Student Apprentice: Brendan Hogan, Political Science & Psychological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Michael Morrell, Political Science
Award Co-Sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute

UCHI LogoProject Title: Diverse Experiences of and Evaluations about Sexting and Sexting Victimization
Student Apprentice: Emily Mendoza, Human Development and Family Studies
Faculty Mentor: Alaina Brenick, Human Development and Family Studies
Award Co-Sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute

Project Title: Executive Approval Analyses in Latin America and Recent Political Developments
Student Apprentice: Shankara Narayanan, Political Science & International Relations
Faculty Mentor: Matthew Singer, Political Science

Project Title: Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Perspectives of Witnessed Simulated Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Death in an Opioid Addicted Patient
Student Apprentice: Justin Pedneault, Nursing
Faculty Mentor: Carrie Eaton, Nursing

Project Title: Accountability in Government?:  Assessing the Effectiveness of Ethics Commissions in Connecticut Municipalities
Student Apprentice: Samuel Rostow, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Kimberly Bergendahl, Political Science

Project Title: A Computer Intervention to Help Reduce Problematic Gambling in College Students
Student Apprentice: Skyler Sklenarik, Psychological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Robert Astur, Psychological Sciences

Project Title: Social Policy and the Political Lives of American Teenagers
Student Apprentice: Olivia Sykes, Urban and Community Studies & Human Rights
Faculty Mentor: Edith Barrett, Urban and Community Studies

Project Title: Hollow Earth
Student Apprentice: Isabella Uliasz, Studio Art
Faculty Mentor: John O’Donnell, Art and Art History

Project Title: African American Breast Cancer Survivors
Student Apprentice: Caira Ward, Human Development and Family Studies, Africana Studies
Faculty Mentor: Edna Brown, Human Development and Family Studies

Project Title: Psychosocial Factors Influence Pain and Quality of Life in Young Adults with Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Student Apprentice: Tessa Weidig, Nursing
Faculty Mentor: Xiaomei Cong, Nursing

 

• Deadlines Approaching for Summer 2018 Research Opportunities

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get valuable research experience this summer. Undergraduate students who are interested in participating in a summer research program should be preparing applications and requesting letters of recommendation now! Check out the following summer research programs with late January and early February deadlines.

Arecibo Observatory REU Summer Program
Deadline: January 25, 2018 (online application); February 1, 2018 (supporting documents)
http://www.naic.edu/reu_program.html
Students selected for this summer research opportunity will work with staff scientists at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico on projects related to ongoing research or instrumentation development. Interested students must be undergraduates in Fall 2018. Strong candidates will be students majoring in astronomy, physics, computer science, and electrical engineering.

Summer Internships in Science and Technology (SIST) – Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)
Deadline: January 28, 2018
http://sist.fnal.gov/index.php
Fermilab’s SIST program offers 12-week summer internships in science and technology. Internships available in physics, engineering (mechanical, electrical and computer), materials science, mathematics and computer science offer a chance for students to conduct research with Fermilab scientists and engineers.

REU Program in Solar and Space Physics – University of Colorado Boulder
Deadline: January 29, 2018
http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/education/reu/
This 10-week summer REU program targets students with an interest in solar and space physics. Students work under the direction of scientists from one of a number of participating institutions, including Colorado’s Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics and the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s High Altitude Observatory. $500/week stipend and housing provided.

NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) – NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (CA) and University of California, Irvine
Deadline: January 31, 2018
https://airbornescience.nasa.gov/nsrc/SARP
This 8-week summer internship program is targeted at highly motivated rising seniors with a strong background in any of the physical, chemical, or biological sciences, or engineering and an interest in applying their background to the study of the Earth system. Selected students will work in multi-disciplinary teams to study surface, atmospheric, and oceanographic processes and will fly on board the NASA C-23 Sherpa research aircraft. $5,000 stipend, travel costs and housing provided.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute Summer Scholars Program (CRISSP)
Deadline: January 31, 2018
https://crissp.research.chop.edu/
The CHOP Research Institute Summer Scholars Program (CRISSP) is committed to educating and training future leaders in the biomedical sciences, with a special emphasis on advancing laboratory, clinical, behavioral and translational pediatric research. Summer stipend of $4,000 and housing provided.

SAO REU Summer Intern Program
Deadline: January 31, 2018

https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/opportunities/reu//overview.html
The SAO Summer intern program is a research experience for undergraduates where students work on an astrophysics research project under the supervision of an SAO or Harvard scientist. The 10-week program takes place at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program – Gerstner Sloan Kettering
Deadline: February 1, 2018
http://www.sloankettering.edu/summer-undergraduate-research-program
The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering sponsors a 10-week summer research program for undergraduate students who are interested in the biomedical sciences. This is a competitive program that accepts 20 students. Applicants must have research experience. $4,000 stipend and housing provided.

Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Deadline: February 1, 2018
http://www.stjude.org/poe
This program provides a short-term training experience in either laboratory research or clinical research. Students will be matched with a faculty mentor and will participate in the mentor’s ongoing research projects. Qualified students with an interest in cancer research are encouraged to apply. $400/week stipend provided to selected students.

NSF-REU Internships in Astronomy – Maria Mitchell Observatory
Deadline: February 1, 2018
http://www.mmo.org/get-involved/internships/reu
Six REU internship positions are available for qualified undergraduate astronomy and physics students. These positions provide students the opportunity to conduct independent research supervised by a senior staff member of MMO. $1,800 per month stipend and housing provided.

SENS Research Foundation (SRF) Summer Scholars Program
Deadline: February 5, 2018

http://www.sens.org/education/research-opportunities/srf-summer-scholars-program
This program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct biomedical research under the guidance of a scientific mentor. Paid positions are available at a number of research institutions including Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Stanford University and Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Full descriptions of each research project can be found at the website link above.


Amgen Scholars Program 
The Amgen Scholars Program, through which students work full-time on independent research projects under the guidance of a research scientist, is hosted at ten institutions in the United States. Each host institution has its own application process; see details about 9 of the institutional programs below (applications deadlines are February 1st. The Caltech program is not listed below as its deadline is February 15th). Amgen research is conducted in fields including biochemistry, bioinformatics, biotechnology, chemical and biomolecular engineering, chemistry, immunology, medical pharmacology, microbiology, molecular biology, molecular genetics, molecular medicine, molecular pharmacology, neurobiology, neuroscience, pathology, physiological psychology, physiological science, statistics, and toxicology.

Amgen Scholars Summer Research Program at Columbia University/Barnard College
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/ug/amgen/
Columbia University and Barnard College offer a summer research program to undergraduate students who are interested in hands-on, biology-related laboratory research. The program is competitive with awards based on grades, recommendations, and career plans. Selected students receive a stipend of $4,000, a meal stipend ($500), and housing on the Morningside campus of Columbia University.

Amgen Scholars Program at Harvard
http://uraf.harvard.edu/amgen-scholars
This 10-week, faculty-mentored summer research program is targeted to students with research interests in the biotechnology fields. The program encourages applications from students whose backgrounds and experiences would bring diversity to biotechnology fields and students from groups underrepresented in the STEM fields. $4,000 stipend, $500 meal allowance, housing and travel costs to Boston, MA are provided.

Amgen Scholars Program at NIH
https://www.training.nih.gov/amgenscholars
Undergraduate students will be matched with a research mentor and participate in a curriculum that will teach leadership skills as well as prepare them for research-oriented careers. Preference will be given to students who lack opportunities to perform independent research during the school year. Students from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Amgen-UROP Scholars Program at MIT
http://web.mit.edu/urop/amgenscholars/
The Amgen-UROP Scholars Program is a competitive program providing the opportunity for undergraduates to participate in faculty-mentored summer research at MIT in the science and biotechnology areas. Students work 40 hours per week for nine weeks ($4,418 salary). Housing in an MIT residence hall and a food allowance of $800 are also provided.

Stanford Summer Research Program (SSRP) – Amgen Scholars Program
http://biosciences.stanford.edu/prospective/diversity/ssrp/
The SSRP-Amgen Scholars program is a research-intensive residential program where students are matched with a member of the Stanford faculty to conduct a research project from a comprehensive list of biological and biomedical science programs. The program encourages applications from students whose backgrounds and experiences would bring diversity to the field. The program provides a stipend of $3,600 and summer housing, meals, and travel to and from Stanford.

Amgen Scholars Program at the University of California, Berkeley
http://amgenscholars.berkeley.edu/
The UC Berkeley Amgen Scholars program is a 10-week summer research program that provides undergraduates the opportunity to work on directly on a research project under the guidance of a UCB faculty member. $5,000 stipend and apartment housing provided as well as travel costs to the UC Berkeley campus.

Amgen Scholars Program at the University of California, Los Angeles
http://www.ugresearchsci.ucla.edu/amgenscholars.htm
The UCLA Amgen Scholars Program pairs students with a UCLA faculty mentor to conduct research in biomedical science, chemistry, bioengineering, or chemical engineering. This competitive program has 15 slots available to non-UCLA undergraduate students. $3,600 stipend for the 10-week program, on-campus housing and some meals provided to selected students.

Amgen Scholars Program at the University of California, San Francisco
http://graduate.ucsf.edu/srtp
The UCSF Amgen Scholars 9-week summer program provides opportunities for undergraduates to conduct research in science and biotechnology under the supervision of UCSF faculty members. Selected students will participate in seminars/lectures and have the opportunity to present their research at the end of the program. Students receive a $4,000 stipend, $500 to cover travel costs to and from San Francisco, and housing.

Amgen Scholars Program at Washington University in St. Louis
http://dbbs.wustl.edu/divprograms/SummerResearchforUndergrads/Pages/Amgen-Scholars.aspx
Undergraduates selected for the Amgen Scholars Program at Washington University will engage in an intensive, 10-week, independent research project under the direction of a faculty mentor. Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and groups historically underrepresented in the sciences are encouraged to apply. $4,000 stipend and housing provided.