Minority Students from UAMS Research Programs Present at National Conference
| Six students who spent their summer doing research at UAMS presented their work at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in Anaheim, California, last month.
The students collectively represented three different UAMS research programs: the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s Summer Research Internship, the UAMS Graduate School’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program and the Arkansas IDEA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. All six students were accepted to present their research abstract in poster format.
“Through these important programs students gain access to a variety of resources, some of which they might not even be aware of beforehand,” said Kimberlyn Blann-Anderson, director of outreach programs for the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “UAMS faculty members have a wealth of knowledge about opportunities such as funding, internships and fellowships that they are able to share with program participants.”
These programs allows undergraduate students from both inside and outside Arkansas to gain graduate-level experience working on intensive scientific research projects. The intent of the programs is to inspire new interests and lead students to discover areas of science they are passionate about.
“These summer research programs help students further understand the scientific process, from beginning an experiment and collecting data to analyzing results. They help them define their scientific viewpoint,” said Blann-Anderson.
At the conference, Barbara Marin of Emory University, who participated in the Graduate School’s program, was awarded a certificate of achievement for her presentation of research under the mentorship of UAMS’s Antiño Allen, Ph.D.
The full list of conference participants includes:
Division for Diversity Equity and Inclusion Summer Research Internship (SRI) program
Lekiva Cobb
Lekiva Cobb
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Poster Title: “Directional Release of Reovirus from Polarized Lymphatic Endothelial Cells”
UAMS Faculty: Karl Boehme, Ph.D.
Makynzi Watson-Williams
Makynzi Watson-Williams
Tuskegee University; Tuskegee, Alabama
Poster Title: “Discovery and Optimization of Dehydroleucodine Analogues as Anti-leukemia and Cytotxic Agents”
UAMS Faculty: Darrin Jones, Ph.D.
Solange Tchounwou
Solange Tchounwou
The University of Mississippi, College of Liberal Arts; Oxford, Mississippi
Poster Title: “Treatment Decreases Parasites Burden During Leishmania Infection in Vitro”
UAMS Faculty: Tiffany Weinkopff, Ph.D.
Graduate School Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)
Barbara Marin
Barbara Marin
Emory University; Atlanta, Georgia
Poster Title: “Effects of Whole Brain Irradiation on Cognitive Function and Gene Expression in Juvenile Murine Model”
UAMS Faculty: Antiño Allen, Ph.D.
Daija Green
Daija Green
Jackson State University; Jackson, Mississippi
Poster title: “Studies of a Possible Pathway Involving Malic Enzyme 1 (ME1) and NADPH Oxidases (NOX/DUOX) in a Mouse Model of Intestinal Cancer”
UAMS Faculty: Frank Simmen, Ph.D. and Rosalia Simmen, Ph.D.
The Arkansas IDEA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)
Huddoy Walters
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Poster Title: “Effects of Doxorubicin, Cyclophosphamide and Docetaxel Chemotherapy Treatment on the Synaptic Genes of the Cerebellum”
UAMS Faculty: Antiño Allen, Ph.D.