graduate student research day

College of Health and Public Service

Search form.

• EagleConnect
• UNT Directory
• Jobs at UNT
• HPS Grants & Contracts
• HPS Grant & Funding Resources
• Search HPS Faculty Research
• HPS Student Research
• HPS Research Seminars
• HPS Global Projects
• HPS Faculty Publications
• PI Resources

You are here

• HPS Graduate Student Research Day

HPS Graduate Student Research Day- Wednesday, April 10th, 2024 from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Abstract submission deadline: submissions for the 2024 event are now closed..

Graduate education is the heart of every great university. Graduate students come to UNT to make creative contributions and research discoveries that advance human knowledge.

Graduate Student Research Day is a HPS-wide poster and presentation session that showcases and awards research by graduate students. The day aims to strengthen graduate students’ presentation and networking skills, as well as their ability to distill down and articulate their research concisely and effectively to a non-specialist audience.

How to Enter

Am I Eligible?

• The competition is open to all currently registered and enrolled UNT Master’s and Doctoral graduate students in the College of Health and Public Service.
• Students must be registered and enrolled during Spring 2024 and be in good academic standing in order to participate and to be eligible to receive any prize.
• Students on an official leave of absence, or with lapsed status in Spring 2024 are not eligible to compete for prizes.  Also, while previous prize winners are encouraged to participate, they are not eligible to win prizes again.
• Presentations must be on research . Projects and business plans are not eligible.
• Students must meet the guiding principles of the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance.  

Why Should I Enter Student Research Day?

• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT : Student Research Day will strengthen your presentation skills, as well as your ability to distill down and articulate your research concisely and effectively to a non-specialist audience. 
• NETWORKING : Student Research Day provides an opportunity for you to directly meet and engage with valued UNT associates (faculty, alumni, and administration). 
• MARKETING OPPORTUNITY: Student Research Day showcases the excellence, importance and relevance of your research! 
• RESEARCH SWAG & PRIZES!

How Do I Present at Student Research Day? 

• Call for Abstracts is NOW CLOSED.
• Posters are required . 

Poster Guidelines

The suggested poster size is 36 by 48 inches (portrait format). Students are encouraged to work with their advisors to assure the standard elements are included in the poster.

Poster presentations are visual representations of field studies or research projects. Attendees include incoming and continuing students, and faculty with varying degrees of interest and experience.

Posters will be printed for free in the HPS GIS lab. After you submit your abstract, you will receive a link to sign up for poster printing.

Poster design:

Need UNT logos for your poster? Click here!

How to Create a Research Poster  

Scientific Poster Powerpoint Templates  

Mike Morrison: Better poster generation

Presenting Your Poster

Students will be expected to stand next to their posters between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to answer questions about their research. Here are some tips on effectively communicating your research:

• Remember that people viewing your poster, including the poster judges, may not work in your discipline. Try to make your work understandable to experts in other fields. 

Additional Tips

• Student Research Day is about effective COMMUNICATION– engaging your audience in one or two aspects of your research that excite you, that tell the best story to people outside of your field.
• Think about what sets your research apart from what has already been done already. What makes your work unique and valuable to your field?
• The images you use on your poster should complement or illustrate what you are communicating verbally. Make sure they are relevant to your message.
• Do not fill your poster with so much content that the audience will be spending time trying to it all figure it out.
• Stay away from acronyms unless they are well-known or you can quickly explain them. Same with jargon and complex terms. You will need to briefly define them.
• Slow down and relax. Don’t speak too fast. Clarity and being comfortable with your content is key.
• Practice presenting in front of your roommate, friends, or family members — people who are not greatly familiar with your topic/research. They are great sounding boards.
• Have fun with this! Your work is valuable and YOU are the expert. You have a lot to teach the rest of us and we’re here to listen.

Judging panels for Graduate Student Research Day will be comprised of faculty, deans, alumni, administrative staff, and postdoctoral scholars. The judges will be selected to ensure disciplinary diversity and every effort will be made to avoid conflicts of interest.

Posters will be judged on the clarity and presentation, and ability to provide context for a non-specialist audience helping others understand and appreciate their research.

Points will be awarded based on the following criteria:

• Organization
• Appropriateness
• Intellectual Significance
• Best Poster: 1st Place ($750), 2nd Place ($500), and 3rd place ($250).
• Please note - We are not able to give out cash prizes.  Instead UNT prize monies may go towards the following:
• Conference travel in the year following Graduate Student Research Day (April 2024 through March 2025)
• Professional memberships
• Other research expenses (books, data costs, software)
• For returning students, monies may go towards a scholarship next year

Describing Your Research: Tips

How to Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo, article by Guy Kawasaki

Giving an Academic Talk by Jonathan Shewchuk, Associate Professor in Computer Science, University of California at Berkeley

Don’t Be Such a Scientist by Randy Olson

Giving Oral Presentations from English Communication for Scientists by Jean-Luc Doumont (ed.), Nature (2010)

Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds

10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea, from TED’s in-house expert by Aaron Weyenberg

TED Talks (up to 6 minutes in length) : Brief talks on “ideas worth spreading.”

PhD Comics Two-Minute Thesis : PhD Comics challenged graduate students to explain their work in two minutes – the best have been turned into videos!

3 Minute Thesis Competition Winners : Winning presentations from a multi-university thesis competition in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the South Pacific.

Wayne State University

School of medicine news.

• Browse topics

School of Medicine

Graduate student research day returns in-person with 43 scientific presentations.

(Visit our Flickr for more photos from the event.)

The Wayne State University School of Medicine’s annual Chuan-Pu Lee, Ph.D., Endowed Graduate Student Research Presentation Day was held Jan. 24 in Scott Hall’s cafeteria and the Margherio Family Conference Center.

The student-organized event was held in person for the first time since 2019. Now in its 26th year, it showcases the diverse biomedical research of graduate students at the School of Medicine and from other WSU schools and colleges.

The event provides a platform for graduate students to present their work to WSU research faculty and students, and encourages interdepartmental collaboration. This year, students presented 15 10-minute oral talks and 28 poster presentations.

The research day is supported by a gift from Dr. Lee, who died in 2016. The endowed funds provide awards and prizes. Dr. Lee retired in 2011 after 36 years on the School of Medicine faculty. She was a strong advocate for WSU graduate students, offering pre- and post-doctoral travel awards to help offset the cost of national and international conferences.

Several faculty members from both the medical and main campus volunteered to judge the student presentations.

The 2023 organizing committee and day-of moderators included Andrew Butcko, Cathy Mcleod, Ashten Stambersky, Paul Morse, Annie Nguyen, Jugmohit Toor, Margaret Akpo and Nouran Yonis.

Sponsors included the Michigan Society of Hematology and Oncology, and Arbor Assays. The organizing committee also shared special thanks to the WSU vice dean of Research and Graduate Programs; the Alumni Office; and the departments of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences; the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics; Cancer Biology; Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology; Pharmacology; and Pathology.

The event included a keynote address from Derek Narendra, M.D., Ph.D., a Lasker Clinical Research Scholar and tenure-track investigator for the National Institutes of Health. His laboratory focuses on mitochondrial drivers and stress responses in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia and myopathy. During his graduate research he identified a novel mitophagy pathway involving the coordinated activities of PRKN and PINK1, mutations that are the leading cause of early onset Parkinson’s.

An awards ceremony followed his presentation. The student winners were:

Oral presentations

First place: Samantha Heldman – “Identification of liquid crystal monomers and their mixtures as novel metabolism disrupting chemicals,” Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Second place: Alixandria Mascarin – “Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles in reward neurocircuitry underlie cocaine-primed relapse in female and male rats,” Translational Neuroscience Program

Poster presentations

First place: Sonia Khalid – “Intermittent morphine access throughout gestation impairs mouse maternal behavior development and enhances anxiety outcomes,” Research and Development Service, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences

Second place: Aaron Lotvola – “The mechanism and significance of c-Myc suppression by ABHD5 in prostate cancer cells,” Cancer Biology Graduate Program

Honorable mentions

Rayane Dennaoui

Maryam Safdar

Annie Nguyen

Isabella Cubillejo

Rafael Ramos

Jugmohit Toor

Aiman Shahab

Amirreza Samarbakhsh

Mizumi Seita

Aditi Singh

Subscribe to Today@Wayne

Direct to your inbox each week

Related articles

Researchers find new clues in causes of vision loss in ocular diseases that may lead to new treatments August 14, 2024

Student receives NIH grant to study fear of falling in multiple sclerosis patients August 10, 2024

Dr. Monu receives Career Development Award for study of kidney disease trigger in obesity August 7, 2024

Silas Norman Medical Scholars celebrate academy graduation August 5, 2024

Scott Hall Public Affairs, Room 1320 540 E. Canfield Detroit, MI 48201 313-577-6943

Privacy and University Policies

Wayne State University © 2023

Information for:

• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Degrees & Programs
• Campus Maps
• Jobs & Careers
• Campus Shuttles
• Student Life
•   Giving
• Augusta University
• The Graduate School

Graduate Research Day 2022

37th Annnual Graduate Research Day

See the 2022 GRD Program   See Photos From the Event  

Graduate Student Poster Presentations

Poster-Doctoral Fellow Oral Presentations

Post-Doctoral Fellow Poster Presentations

AWARD WINNERS 

Candee Barris

• FISHER PHI KAPPA PHI AWARD

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Vascular Biology

Presentation Title: Ovariectomy Does Not Further Elevate Blood Pressure in Obese Female Mice but Preserves the Contribution of Leptin to Hypertension

Theresa Akoto

• JI CHENG MEMORIAL AWARD

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Cellular Biology and Anatomy

Presentation Title: Identifying the Target Genes of PPIP5K2 in Relation to Keratoconus

Frederick Bonsack

• Lowell M. Greenbaum Award for Excellence in Pharmacology Research

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Pharmacology  Presentation Title: Genetic Depletion of 18-kDa Translocator Protein (TSPO) Augments Acute Brain Damage After Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Mice

Edidiong Usoro

• R. August Roesel Memorial Award
• for Excellence in Biochemistry Research

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Biochemistry & Cancer Biology Presentation Title: Understanding the Role of Hypoxic Cancer Cells dNTP Pool on DNA Damage Response and Resistance to Therapy

Desmond Moronge

• Virendra B. Mahesh Award for Research Excellence in Endocrinology

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Physiology  Presentation Title: Endothelial Cell Mineralocorticoid Receptor (ECMR) Deletion Improves Fetal Growth and Vascular Function in the RUPP Mouse Model of Preeclampsia

Peter Naktin

• Octavia Garlington Award of Instructional Design / Poster

Graduate Program: Master of Science with a major in Medical Illustration Presentation Title: Patient Education Brochure: Managing Your Sleep Apnea with At-Home Testing

Mercy Kehinde-Ige

• Georgia Cancer Center Award for Excellence in Cancer Research

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Biochemistry & Cancer Biology Presentation Title: Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Analysis of Transcriptional Regulatory Networks and Metabolic Pathways in Genetically Modified Tumor-Specific CD4+ T Cells

Malita Jones

• James and Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute Award for Excellence in Vision Research

Graduate Program: Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Biochemistry & Cancer Biology Presentation Title: TIM3, a Novel Potential Regulator of Inflammation in Retina

EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH  AWARDS BY DISCIPLINE

Shinjini Spaulding

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Physiology

Presentation Title(s): Phospholipase D2 Loss Impairs Low Salt-Induced Increases in Steroidogenic Gene Expression with No Effect on Serum Aldosterone Levels

Hunter Sellers

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Vascular Biology

Presentation Title(s): An Adeno Associated Model of Murine Pre-Diabetic Obesity

Khaled Bin Satter

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Genomic Medicine

Presentation Title(s): COGS: A Gene Signature to Differentiate Chromophobe Renal Cancer and Oncocytoma

Kristopher Mayes

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Neuroscience

Presentation Title(s): In Vivo Imaging Analysis of Neuronal Reprogramming in the Mouse Cortex

Mohamed S. Hussein

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Molecular Medicine

Presentation Title(s): TCR-T Cells Engineered to Overexpress c-Jun Have Better Functionality With Improved Tumor Infiltration and Persistence for Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Harshit Singhania

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Oral Biology & Maxillofacial Pathology

Presentation Title: EPS8 Regulates SOX2, Contributing to HNSCC Stemness

William Smith, Ashlei Perkins, & Daniela Payne

• Doctor of Education with a Major in Education Innovation

Presentation Title: Succeeding in Introductory STEM Courses at Community Colleges: STEM Instructors' Perceptions of Essential Skills and Barriers to Success

Kailey Wyman

• Master of Science in Biomolecular Science

Presentation Title: Development of Potential Drug Candidates Against SARS-CoV-2 Using Molecular Hybridization Approach

Frederick Baker

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Cell Biology & Anatomy

Presentation Title: Bicaudal-D Cargoes Differentially Regulate the Association of the Adaptor with Dynein

Sam Parrish

• Master of Health Science with a Major in Clinical Laboratory Science

Presentation Title: Investigating Biovariability of CBC Parameters

Kendra Bufkin

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Applied Health Sciences

Presentation Title: Verification and Validation of a Biomarker that Responds to Acute Kidney Injury

Katherine P. Richardson

• Master of Science with a major in Public Health

Presentation Title: Serum Levels of Clinical Markers Predicts Recovery from Severe COVID-19 Infection

Bich Na Choi

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Biostatistics

Presentation Title: Generalized Multivariate Bernoulli Distributions: Identification and Inference for SNP and SNP-SNP Interaction

Amanda Howard

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Nursing

Presentation Title: Methodology and Challenges of an Ethnographic Study Describing Stroke Survivors’ Beliefs and Behaviors Returning Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Computer and Cyber Sciences

Presentation Title: Semantic-Preserving Optimization Algorithm for Automatic Program Parallelization

Moaddey Alfarhan

• UGA Clinical & Experimental Therapeutics Award

Presentation Title: Spermine Oxidase Inhibition Protects Against Neuroinflammation and Oxidative Damage in Retinal Excitotoxicity Model

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH 

Caleb Padgett

Presentation Title(s): Galectin-3 Regulates Microvascular NADPH Oxidase I-Derived Oxidative Stress in Obesity

Wendy Burnett

Presentation Title: Characteristics of Nobel Prize-Winning Collaborations

Adrianne Bogans, Joseph Workman & Michell Glover

Presentation Title: Leadership Processes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Leadership Preparation and Training

Chelsea Paulding

Presentation Title: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid Training and its Impact at Augusta University

Bryaunna Barrera & Jasmine Crockett

Presentation Title: Patellofemoral Pain and Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Study for the Identification of "At-Risk" Females

Emma Geister

Presentation Title: Twist1 Evokes Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 and Collagen IV Secretion in Activated Pancreatic Stellate Cells

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH BY POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Qiuhua Yang

• 1st Place Poster Presentation Winner

Department: Vascular Biology Center

Poster Title: Adenosine Receptor 2A Promotes Subretinal Fibrosis Formation

Perenkita Mendiola

• 1st Place Oral Presentation Winner

Department: Department of Physiology

Presentation Title: In Vivo Vasculo-Neuronal Coupling in a Mouse Model of High Blood Pressure Variability

Xiangqin He

• 2nd Place Poster Presentation Winner

Department: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Poster Title: Our Data Suggest that Carmn is Indispensable for Maintaining Gastrointestinal Cont Smooth Muscle-Specific lncRNA Carmn Plays a Potential Role in Aortic Aneurysm

John Henry Dasinger

• 2nd Place Oral Presentation Winner

Presentation Title: NOX2-Derived Reactive Oxygen Species Contribute to Impaired Renal Function and Increased Maternal Mortality Observed in Dahl SS Rat After Multiple Pregnancies

Vamsi Krishna Kommalapati

• 3rd Place Poster Presentation Winner

Department: Georgia Cancer Center

Poster Title: A Novel Breast Cancer Therapeutic Strategy Through Hsp90 Inhibition and Activation of the Immune System

• 3rd Place Oral Presentation Winner (3-way tie)

Department:  Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Presentation Title: Bmal1 Regulates the bHLH Transcription Factor Tal1 and VE-Cadherin to Restrict the Endothelial Barrier

Shikha Yadav

Presentation Title: Macrophage Dynamin-Related Protein1 (Drp1) is Required for Ischemia-Induced Neovascularization

Sheela Nagarkoti

Presentation Title: Protein Disulfide Isomerase A1 Functions as a Novel Redox Sensor in VEGFR2 Signaling and Angiogenesis

• News & Events >
• School News >
• Student-Run Research Day Highlights Graduate Students’ Work

Taylor Wicks enjoyed showing her research work during the inaugural Graduate Student Research Day.

Student-Run Research Day Features Grad Students’ Work

By Bill Bruton

Published January 18, 2023

From the time she heard about the inaugural Graduate Student Research Day, Taylor Wicks was thrilled with the opportunity to showcase her work.

Didn’t Want to Miss This Opportunity

She didn’t have the opportunity to show her research at the Neuroscience Research Day earlier this year. She had a good reason — she was in Amsterdam presenting at ECTRIMS, a large European conference dedicated to multiple sclerosis care and research.

“When I was in Amsterdam I missed my colleagues presenting their research, and I really missed being a part of that. I wanted to join online as well, but that wasn’t an option during that research day,” said Wicks, a second-year master’s student in neuroscience . “So, when I found out that this was being made available, I decided to get as involved as I could. I gave a talk today, as well as this poster presentation.”

Her talk was titled “Determining Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Multiple Sclerosis.” Her poster presentation was titled “Neuroimaging Correlates of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis.”

She was one of six students who gave talks before lunch, followed by four talks by professors after lunch.

“It means a lot to be able to see a lot of my co-workers and fellow students. I like seeing their work,” said Wicks, who does her research at the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC) under the tutulege of Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD , professor of neurology and biomedical informatics and director of the BNAC (primary mentor), and Dejan Jakimovski, MD, PhD, research assistant professor of neurology (secondary mentor).

Graduate Student Research Day is a student-run event, planned and executed by the Graduate Student Ambassador Mentor Team (with support from the Office of Biomedical Education). Doctoral students and mentor team leaders Tyler Rolland, Christy Angeliu and Molly Martin were key organizers, with support from Brittany Sandor, manager of the Graduate Student Ambassador Program and admissions coordinator for the MD-PhD program .

Get to See ‘What Our Friends Are Working On’

Doctoral student Corey M. Knowles enjoyed being able to see research projects from friends outside his field of study.

Corey M. Knowles, a fifth-year doctoral student in microbiology and immunology , enjoyed the opportunity to witness research from students outside of his field of knowledge.

“We know all the work that the students within our departments are doing all the time. However, our friends in other departments, we never get to see their work,” said Knowles, who studies pathogens in the lab of John C. Panepinto, PhD , senior associate dean for biomedical education and professor of microbiology and immunology . “It’s really nice to be able to have everyone within the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences come together and present their work, so we can actually see what our friends are working on.”

His poster presentation was titled “Ccr4 and Gcn2 Contribute Differentially to Stress-Specific Translational Repression in C. neoformans.”

Doctoral candidate Garrett Sheehan studies MAGI-2, a scaffolding protein found in the spinal cord.

Garrett Sheehan, a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the neuroscience program , researches MAGI-2, a scaffolding protein found in the spinal cord, under the direction of his mentor, Arin Bhattacharjee, PhD , associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology .

He appreciated getting different perspectives on his research.

“Whenever you get the opportunity to show what you’ve done and also get feedback from people — particularly people that are outside your direct field — it’s always a great opportunity,” Sheehan said. “It’s nice to get good feedback about your project in ways that maybe you didn’t have an opportunity to think about before.”

Master’s student Sri Laxmi Veerapaneni studies Transcription factor EB.in peripheral myelination.

Sri Laxmi Veerapaneni, a second-year master’s student in neuroscience , studies Transcription factor EB in peripheral myelination.

“The main thing I love about the conferences and seminars is networking with people of different research interests and backgrounds. One of the post-doc fellows came up to me and said ‘your work and explanation are great’ and asked if I want to join their lab as a PhD student for the upcoming cycle. One of the PIs said It sounds interesting and asked about other experiments that I’m planning to do. He also suggested a few other experiments that I can implement in my project,” Veerapaneni said. “Research is like finishing a jigsaw puzzle. It takes a lot of time, patience and work to finish even the smallest project. However, once it is done the results are amazing. The conferences are not just about communication and networking, but also about learning, improving and updating scientific knowledge that is already studied.”

She works in the lab of  M. Laura Feltri, MD , SUNY Distinguished Professor of  biochemistry  and  neurology  and director of the Institute for Myelin and Glia Exploration .

Honored That Work is Recognized by Peers

Presentation award winners were Michael Battaglia, a fifth-year doctoral student in biochemistry , and Nutt Punnanitinont, a third-year doctoral student in oral biology.

Battaglia’s presentation was titled “Roles of Ets 1 and II17Ra in Autoimmunity and Staphylococcal Skin Immunity.”

Battaglia does his research in the laboratory of Lee Ann Garrett-Sinha, PhD , professor of biochemistry .

“It is incredible to have my work recognized by my peers at UB and feel it is a sign of the great mentorship I have had while in the lab of Dr. Garrett-Sinha,” Battaglia said.

His research focuses on the role of two different genes — Ets1 and IL17Ra — and how they affect development of autoimmune disease and clearance of skin infections by the bacteria S. aureus.

“ So far, our findings indicate that both genes are required for animal models of infection to clear the bacteria,” Battaglia says. “In addition, my work has shown that Ets1 is absolutely necessary for a type of immune cell normally found in the skin of mice; without it they are missing.”

Punnanitinont’s presentation was titled “TLR7 Agonism Accelerates Disease in a Mouse Model of Primary Sjogren’s Syndrome.”

“I’m beyond excited to be able to share my work to the Jacobs School community as our lab is determined to discover novel therapeutics that can address the underlying mechanism of Sjögren’s syndrome (SS),” Punnanitinont said.

She works in the lab or Jill Kramer, DDS, associate professor of oral biology in the School of Dental Medicine.

SS is an autoimmune disease in which a patient’s own cells can attack their organs.

“In particular, patients with SS lose the ability to produce tears and saliva and can develop other health problems,” Punnanitinont said. “There is currently no cure for SS. Thus, our lab is interested in understanding chronic inflammation in disease and the goal of our work is to identify new therapeutic strategies to help patients.”

Collaborative Environment Appreciated

Poster award winners were Richard Seidman, a fourth-year doctoral student in neuroscience , and Chris Handelmann, a doctoral student in biochemistry . 

Seidman’s poster was titled “Oscillatory Store-Operated Calcium Signaling Regulates Human Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Stem Cell Fate.”

Seidman does his research in the lab of Fraser J. Sim, PhD , professor of pharmacology and toxicology and director of the neuroscience program .

“My research projects are geared toward identification of novel strategies and targets for treatment of multiple sclerosis by studying how intracellular signaling regulates oligodendrocyte progenitor cell development and myelin repair in both health and disease,” Seidman said. “I am very grateful to be honored for my research, but even more so to be able to share and discuss my findings in a collaborative environment to promote the thoughtful development of our collective research goals together.”

Handelmann’s poster was titled “The Impact of Nucleosome Structure on CRISPR Cas9 Fidelity.”

The event took place Dec. 7 in the Jacobs School building’s atrium.

Upcoming Events

Information for:

• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Degrees & Programs
• Campus Maps
• Jobs & Careers
• Campus Shuttles
• Student Life
•   Giving

• Augusta University
• The Graduate School

Graduate Research Day

Share your research, sharpen your skills, and expand your reach.

Graduate Research Day showcases the groundbreaking research accomplishments of our graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Certificates and cash prizes are awarded in various categories, including Awards of Excellence in Research by a Graduate Student, Awards of Excellence in Research by a Postdoctoral Fellow, Program/Discipline Awards, and numerous speciality awards. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your work, sharpen your presentation skills, and recieve recongition for your research. In addition, The Graduate School is proud to continue our tradition of inviting a distinguished speaker each year to deliver the keynote speech. Honored guests have included Nobel Laureates and other highly esteemed researchers whose contributions have revolutionized science and medicine.

2025 Graduate Research Day

March 13 - 14, 2025.

Dr. Donna Arnett

• Keynote Speaker

PhD, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of South Carolina

Questions? Contact

Emily Crider Director, Graduate School Business Operations [email protected]

Keynote Speakers

Previous Keynote Speakers

FROM Presentation Preparation     TO Award Recognition

Poster board surface area is approximately 5' high and 4' wide. All posters will be mounted with pushpins. There are no special accommodations for oversized posters. Students must be at their posters for the duration of the session.

Oral presentation submissions are limited to Post Doctoral fellows. The time allotted for talks is 10 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for Q&A. 

Presentations will be judged based on overall scientific merit. Certificates and cash prizes will be awarded at the the Graduate Research Day award ceremony. First-year graduate students are not eligible for awards.

Call for Abstracts

Instructions for submitting abstracts for the 2025 Graduate Research Day will be distributed in early January 2025.

Center for Writing Excellence Workshops

More CWE Workshops | CWE Writing/Speaking Groups and Retreats

Need help writing a strong abstract? The Graduate School is here to help. We've partnered with the Center for Writing Excellence (CWE) to connect you with virtual workshops that will help you craft a precise, accurate, and accessible abstract. These workshops are available to all AU students and postdoctoral fellows.

Abstract Workshop

The first step towards presenting on GRD is submitting a strong abstract. Attend this virtual webinar to learn concrete strategies for sharpening your research abstract. The presentation will include tips for choosing content, organizing and formatting, and writing clearly and concisely.

Register for Workshop

Making Your Research Accessible to Other Disciplines

Expand your reach across disciplines and connect with a wide array of audiences.  Attend this virtual workshop to learn how to sharpen your oral and written communication skills. We can show you how to increase the clarity and accessibility of your ideas without sacrificing the complexity of your work. 

Our Programs

From ground-breaking research to outstanding education

The Graduate School provides a transformative graduate experience like no other. Rigorous academics, groundbreaking research, and a community of care prepares students to become innovators, change-makers, and leaders in a variety of disciplines.

• Regular Faculty
• Affiliate Faculty
• Emeritus Faculty
• Clinical Faculty
• Adjunct Faculty
• Our Mission, Vision & Values
• Serving Washington State
• Advisory Committee
• DEOHS faculty positions and fellowships
• Degree requirements
• Applying to the major
• Career pathways
• Funded Research for UW Undergraduates
• Environmental Public Health Minor
• How to Apply
• Graduate degree finder
• Environmental Public Health
• Environmental Toxicology
• Individualized Track
• Infectious Diseases
• Occupational Hygiene/ Exposure Science
• Master of Science
• Master of Science: Applied
• Master of Public Health
• MPH, Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• PhD in Environmental Health Sciences
• Graduate Certificates and Concurrent Degrees
• Course Information
• Biostatistics, Epidemiologic, and Bioinformatic Training in Environmental Health
• Environmental Pathology/Toxicology Training Program
• Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety
• Supporting Undergraduate Research Experiences in Environmental Health (SURE-EH)
• Internship 101
• Launch your career
• Job Openings In the Field
• Student and Alumni profiles
• Contact an Adviser
• Clean Water
• Safe Workplaces
• Sustainable Communities
• Funded Projects
• Student Research
• Continuing Education
• Field Research and Consultation Group
• Environmental Health Laboratory
• Occupational & Environmental Medicine
• Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit
• Teratogen Information System (TERIS)
• Alumni profiles
• Job Openings in the Field
• DEOHS Newsroom
• Environmental Health Seminar

Graduate Student Research Day

Each spring, Graduate Student Research Day celebrates the research of graduating MS and MPH students in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS).

This year, Graduate Student Research Day will be held virtually on May 18, 2021, at 2:30 pm via Zoom . During the event, we will hear a three-minute presentation from each graduating student. After each presentation, participants may ask questions to the student about their research.

> Add to Calendar

> zoom link.

Below, you will find the names of each student. Titles of their research and a link to their posters will be published in early May.

Names are listed in presentation order from left to right. You may also view the order of presentations here .

2:30pm - Welcome from DEOHS Professor and Chair Dr. Michael Yost

2:35pm - Presentations begin

If you have question, please enter your name in the chat box to indicate you have a question. During the Q&A portion, you will be called on to unmute yourself and ask your question.

Hope you are able to join!

Grant R. Whitman

MPH | Environmental & Occupational Health

Faculty Advisor: Gerard Cangelosi, PhD

Title: No Cough Required. Tongue swabs for the diagnosis of tuberculosis with Cepheid Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra

Alexandria R. Vingino

MPH | One Health (OH)

Faculty Advisor: Marilyn Roberts, PhD

Title: One Health Surveillance for antibiotic resistant E. coli in the Salish Sea ecosystem

View Poster

Natalie Thiel

Faculty Advisor: Peter Rabinowitz, MD

Title: Risk Factors for Bartonella Seropositivity Among Veterinary Professionals in Washington State

Anthony Norman, MD

MPH | Occupational & Environmental Medicine (OEM)

Faculty Advisor: Coralynn Sack, MD

Title: Identification of black carbon in the brain using Raman microscopy

Elizabeth Mansi, DVM

Faculty Advisor: Clement Furlong, PhD

Title: Association between antidepressant use and second breast cancer event after ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosis; a nested case-control study

Tyler Gerken

MS | Environmental Health (EH)

Title: Environmental Surveillance and Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus at Beaches and Rivers on Hawaiʻi Island

Jared Egbert

Faculty Advisor: June Spector, MD

Title: Evaluation of Buller Estimated Core Body Temperature Algorithm Accuracy and Application in Agricultural Workers

Renee Codsi

Title: Tongue Swab User Acceptance for Tuberculosis Diagnosis in the Era of COVID-19: A case study in Cape Town, South Africa

MS | Occupational Hygiene (OHy)

Faculty Advisor: Marissa Baker, PhD

Title: Characterizing Grocery Store COVID-19 Controls in the Pacific Northwest

Michael W. Cashman

Title: Prevalence of malignant melanoma among firefighters in Washington State--is there an association between occupation and clinical stage at time of diagnosis?

MPH | One Health

Faculty Advisor: Peter Rabniowitz, MD

Title: The Association between hospitalization and animal exposure at the Human-Animal interface in Dong Nai, Vietnam, July 2017 – September 2018

Madeline M. Benoit

Title: Efficacy in Occupational Health and Safety Training of Dairy Workers: Predictors of Test Performance on a Dairy Safety Knowledge Test From a Demographic Cohort

COVID-19: Vaccine Program | Testing |  Visitor Guidelines | Information for Employees Notice of a Data Incident

The Graduate School

Graduate student research day, what is graduate student research day.

• Schedule of Events
• Graduate Student Poster Session and Oral Presentations (you must sign up to present!)
• Graduate Student Lunch ( RSVP required! )
• Keynote Speaker: Dr. JoAnn Trejo
• Graduate Student Dinner with Dr. Trejo ( RSVP required! )

Previous Guest Speakers

Once a year, the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) holds an event on the UConn Health campus called Graduate Student Research Day (GSRD). GSRD is a forum for the students in the graduate school to present their research through oral and poster presentations. GSRD 2019 is set for Wednesday, June 5, 2019 .

The day includes a keynote address by an invited speaker. Our keynote speaker will be  Dr. JoAnn Trejo , Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Health Sciences Faculty Affairs, University of California-San Diego.

Last year, GSRD was held on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.  Read about GSRD 2018 here.

Schedule of Events:

2019 Graduate Student Poster Session and Oral Presentations

The 36th Annual Graduate Student Research Day (GSRD) is on Wednesday June 5th . To celebrate the research students have done, we will be having a poster presentation in the morning starting at 9:30 a.m. as well as oral presentations beginning at 2 p.m. In order to make GSRD happen, we need abstracts from you!

If you’d like to give an oral or poster presentation , please refer to the submission guidelines emailed directly to students and submit by  May 1st. 

Posters need to be 42″ wide and 36.5″ high. Printing is available through the Storrs campus as long as official UConn Health and Graduate logos are used. If you need help or have more questions about printing your posters please contact Elizabeth Morrison ( [email protected] ).

For the oral presentations, each area of concentration will choose a representative student from their respective disciplines as their presenter. Each presenter will have approximately 10 minutes to present their work and five minutes for questions.

Beyond being a venue to present your research, there will also be a poster contest (3 awards) and oral presentation contest (1 award) with a cash prize for those presentations which best fit the following criteria:

• clarity and conciseness
• integrity of methodology and support of aim(s)
• importance and relevance
• organization and aesthetics

Graduate Student Lunch (RSVP required)

All graduate students are invited to this year’s GRSD lunch.  A sign up link will be emailed to students.

Keynote Speaker: 2019

We are pleased to announce that our keynote speaker this year is Dr. JoAnn Trejo , Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Health Sciences Faculty Affairs, University of California-San Diego.

Graduate Student Dinner with Dr. Trejo (RSVP required)

All UConn Health Graduate School students are invited to a dinner with Dr. Trejo. Space is very limited; a sign up link will be emailed to graduate students.

Previous speakers from recent years include:

• Dr. Christine M. Disteche , (2018) Ph.D., Director of the University of Washington Regional Cytogenetics Laboratory, Professor of Pathology, University of Washington. Read about GSRD 2018 here.
• Dr. Mark H. Tuszynski (2017), M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego.   Read about GSRD 2017 here.
• Dr. Deborah Hogan (2016), Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth.  Read more about the day here .
• Dr. Lippincott-Schwartz (2015), NIH Distinguished Investigator, Chief, Section on Organelle Biology, Cell Biology and Metabolism Program, NICHS, NIH.
• Dr. Susan Ackerman (2014), Investigator and Professor, HHMI and The Jackson Laboratory.
• Dr. Thomas Steitz (2013), 2009 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, Yale University Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Professor of Chemistry, and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Read about the 2013 GSRD
• Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman (2012), Jeremy R. Knowles Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, from Harvard University. Read about the 2012 GSRD.
• Dr. Marina Picciotto (2011), Charles B. G. Murphy Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Neurobiology and of Pharmacology, Yale University. Read about the 2011 GSRD.
• Dr. Richard Kolesnick (2010), Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research and professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University.
• Dr. Freda Miller (2009), senior scientist in the Department of Developmental Biology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and professor at the University of Toronto.
• Dr. Henry Kronenberg (2008), Division Head of Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
• Dr. Craig Hunter (2007), Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University.
• Dr. George Q. Daley (2006), Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Director of the Stem Cell Program at Children’s Hospital, Boston and Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School.
• Dr. James Allison (2005), Chairman of Immunology and David H. Koch Chair in Immunological Studies at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

• Inside the University
• Cizik School of Nursing
• McGovern Medical School
• MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School
• McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics
• School of Behavioral Health Sciences
• School of Dentistry
• School of Public Health

• Explore Our Seven Schools
• Degrees Offered
• CARES Act Compliance
• About Houston
• Mental Health Resources
• Student Governance
• Texas Medical Center
• Campus Maps

Connect to the most sought after resources on campus!

• Future Students
• Life at UTHealth Houston
• Current Students

713-486-4000 713-486-4000 Find A Dentist

Through its student, advanced education, and faculty clinics, the School of Dentistry offers a wide range of dental care services to patients of all ages.

713-500-3267 713-500-3267 Make An Appointment

UT Health Services is a primary care provider and part of the faculty clinical practice of Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston.

1-888-4UT-DOCS 1-888-4UT-DOCS Find Your Doctor

With over 2,000 clinicians certified in more than 80 medical specialties and subspecialties, UT Physicians provides multi-specialty care for the entire family. UT Physicians is the medical group practice of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

• Research News
• Research Centers and Institutes
• Research at the Schools
• Office of Research Administration
• Sponsored Projects Administration
• Office of Technology Management
• Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
• Clinical Trials Resource Center
• Cores and Shared Research Resources
• Research Training
• Visiting Scholars Program
• Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences
• Institutional Information

Clinical trials have helped us to discover new treatments that make our lives better. Consider making an impact on health care by participating in a clinical trial.

• Research at UTHealth Houston
• Research Offices
• Other Research Resources
• UTHealth Houston Giving
• Ways to Give
• Support Our Schools
• Impact Stories
• Contact the Office of Development
• Alumni Resources

We are fortunate to count on so many giving-hearted supporters, and we want to share some of their stories with you. We want to show you the courage, the determination, and the generosity of spirit that define their journeys with UTHealth Houston.

Read about our featured donor

• Philanthropy at UTHealth Houston
• Search UTHealth Houston Search Query

Sanitized: 2a92d48e-b3b7-4bf0-abe1-3dfe5166c9c2

Gsbs: graduate student research day (gsrd), when & where.

June 13, 2024 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM Cooley Center, 7440 Cambridge Street, Houston 77054 ( View in Google Map )

• GSBS Student Affairs
• [email protected]

Event Description

Register to attend  by june 1 to attend agenda.

Event Site Link

https://gsbs.uth.edu/gsbs-events/gsrd

NDSU students participate in Student Research Day

Student Research Day at NDSU is an annual event dedicated to giving undergraduate and graduate students a platform to showcase their research and creative works. A collaboration among NDSU EXPLORE, the Graduate Student Council and Gamma Sigma Delta, Student Research Day provides faculty, staff, students and the community a view of the various types of student research at NDSU. This was the second year the three groups collaborated on the event.

Seventy-five undergraduate and 120 graduate student presenters representing disciplines from across the campus took part in the event. Awards were given in both undergraduate and graduate categories recognizing the best oral and poster presentations in each group. More than 50 NDSU faculty and staff members served as judges.

The NDSU Office of Research and Creative Activity hosts NDSU EXPLORE, which is an annual showcase for undergraduate students in all disciplines to present their research and creative projects. This year, NDSU EXPLORE provided awards for undergraduate students for best oral and poster presentation.

The Graduate Student Council serves as a representative body of graduate students from all academic disciplines. GSC presented awards for best graduate oral and poster presentations.

Gamma Sigma Delta is an agricultural honor society that encourages and rewards excellence in agriculture. Gamma Sigma Delta presented awards for best poster and oral presentations for both undergraduate and graduates.

EXPLORE ORAL PRESENTATIONS 

FIRST PLACE – Ryan Anderson, Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering

Project: Quantification of Nanoplastics in Landfill Leachate Using Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry

Faculty Mentor: Syeed Iskander

SECOND PLACE – Ashley Goetzfried, Environmental Engineering 

Project: Efficient Removal of Organic Micropollutants from Municipal and Agricultural Wastewater by KrCI* Excimer Lamps

Faculty Mentor: Jiale Xu

THIRD PLACE – Kira Eliason, Environmental Engineering 

Project: Rare Earth Elements in Sands Collected from Southern California Sea Beaches 

HONORABLE MENTION – Shane Corbett, Psychology 

Project: Geographic and General Trends in Sleep Manipulation Research: A Bibliometric Analysis 

Faculty Mentor: Leah Irish

EXPLORE POSTER PRESENTATIONS 

FIRST PLACE – Madison Christenson and Danielle Wright, Microbiology

Project: The Effectiveness of chlorine Dioxide as a Sporicidal Agent against Paenibacillus larvae

Faculty Mentor: Birgit Pruess, Microbiological Sciences

SECOND PLACE (TIE) – Brooke Kohler, Biological Sciences

Project: Effects of Flonicamid on the Locomotion of the Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee

Faculty Mentor: Jacob Pithan, Biological Sciences

SECOND PLACE (TIE) – Koby Pearson-Bortle, Biological Sciences

Project: Wing damage propagation in alfalfa leafcutting bee

THIRD PLACE - Drew Jordahl, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 

Project: Expanding the “Library” of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Enzyme Biomineralization 

Faculty Mentor: Zhongyu Yang, Chemistry and Biochemistry

HONORABLE MENTION – Garrett Honzay, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Project: Effect of Surface Mutations on Reactivity of Coproheme Decarboxylase with Hydrogen Peroxide 

Faculty Mentor: Kenton Rodgers, Chemistry and Biochemistry

HONORABLE MENTION – Zoe Muccatira, Earth, Environmental, and Geospatial Sciences

Project: Environmental Controls on Morphological Diversity: A Case Study on the Late Triassic Monotis

Faculty Mentor: Lydia Tackett, Earth, Environmental, and Geospatial Sciences

GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL POSTERS

FIRST PLACE - Heather North - Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Julia Bowsher

Title: Concomitant pesticides in bumble bees: the effects of thiamethoxam and glyphosate on circadian rhythmicity and activity in the Bumblebee, Bombus impatiens

SECOND PLACE - Komila Rasuleva - Biomedical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Dali Sun

Title: β-sheet Richness of Extracellular Vesicles for Pancreatic Cancer Screening

THIRD PLACE - Muhammad Shahid Iqbal - Environmental and Conservation Science

Faculty Mentor: Stephanie S. Day

Title: Riverbank Instability Analysis of the Red River in Fargo, North Dakota.

FOURTH PLACE - Mankanwal Goraya - Plant Pathology

Faculty Mentor: Guiping Yan

Title: Development of a recombinase polymerase amplification assay for rapid detection of the stubby root nematode, Paratrichodorus allius.

GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL ORAL PRESENTATIONS

FIRST PLACE - Justin Clarke - Natural Resources Management

Faculty Mentor: Torre Hovick

Title: Avian Nest Survival in a Heterogeneity-based Rotation Grazing System

SECOND PLACE - Harkamal Kaur - Plant Pathology

Title: Reproduction of soybean cyst nematode on commercial cultivars and breeding lines of dry edible bean

THIRD PLACE - Jose Figueroa-Cerna - Plant Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Juan Osorno

Title: Dry Beans: Genomic prediction for resistance to white mold

FOURTH PLACE - Mohammad Irshad Reza - Pharmaceutical Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Sathish Venkatachalem

Title: Arylhydrocarbon Receptor in Airway Smooth Muscle

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA UNDERGRADUATE POSTER

FIRST PLACE - Mia Haugan, Microbiology and Biotechnology

Title: Using a Genomically Diverse Rhizobium leguminosarum Library to Identify Elite Strains for Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Pisum sativum

Advised by Barney Geddes

SECOND PLACE - Mercedes Morin, Biotechnology

Title: Advancing Health Targeted Foods for Glycemic Control and Cognitive Functions from Indigenous Food Systems

Advised by Kalidas Shetty

THIRD PLACE - Natalie Visich, Microbiology and Biotechnology

Title: Characterization and Collection of Rhizobium leguminosarum Strains from North Dakota Soils

HONORABLE MENTION - Ashton Esco, Biotechnology

Title: Prevalence of seedborne transmission of fungal pathogens in commercial sugar beet lots.

Advised by Nathan Wyatt

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA GRADUATE POSTER

FIRST PLACE - TM Shaikh, Plant Sciences

Title: Homozygosity Mapping Identified Loci and Candidate Genes Responsible for Freezing Tolerance in Camelina sativa

Advised by Mukhlesur Rahman

SECOND PLACE - Gagandeep Brar, Biological Sciences

Title: Do pollen-borne microbes benefit juvenile growth and survival in the solitary bee, Megachile rotundata?

Advised by Julia Bowsher

THIRD PLACE - Amanda Pease, Microbiological Sciences

Title: Chemotactic Differences Between Strains of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae

Advised by Birgit Pruess and Barney Geddes

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA UNDERGRADUATE ORAL

FIRST PLACE - Savannah Rivers, Equine Science and Animal Science

Title: You don’t have to be a work horse to know your horse: A look into the validity of equine personality assessments.

Advised by Carrie Hammer

SECOND PLACE - Katlyn Balstad, Crop and Weed Sciences and Management Communication

Title: Advancing Great Plains Food Crops to Evaluate Glycemic Control and Cognitive Functional Bioactive Compounds

THIRD PLACE - Carly George, Biotechnology and Crop and Weed Sciences

Title: Functional Anaylsis of Gene PtrV1_06931 using Crispr-Cas9 Technique

Advised by Zhaohui Liu

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA GRADUATE ORAL

FIRST PLACE - Shivreet Kaur, Plant Pathology

Title: Tapping global wheat diversity for identifying novel sources of genetic resistance against the cereal killer, wheat rust

Advised by Upinder Gill

SECOND PLACE - Grady Gullickson, Animal Science

Title: The effects of replacing dried distillers grains with solubles with a heat-treated soybean meal in forage-based growing cattle diets

Advised by Zachary Carlson

THIRD PLACE - Md Zahangir Alam, Plant Sciences

Title: Resistance of Canola (Brassica napus L.) to Leptoshaeria maculans Infection

As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.

• July 30, 2024 National Science Foundation awards $427,935 to NDSU Awards , Research

Student Research Day

Since 1985, Student Research Day has provided an on-campus forum for students to showcase their research pursuits. For many students, the day offers the opportunity to share their dissertation research with their colleagues from other disciplines, engaging in discussion and soliciting feedback.

Student Research Day is held in the fall of each year for the students in the Ph.D. programs at the Georgetown University Medical Center. The purpose of Student Research Day is to showcase the scientific research efforts of graduate students at Georgetown University.

Award Winners

2023 Student Research Day Abstracts

Oral Presentations

1st (Tie): Zac Colon – 3rd year, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience “Implications of aging on inflammation, perineuronal nets, and parvalbumin interneurons”

1st (Tie): Michel Fallah – 3rd year, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience “Basal ganglia inhibition of the rostral and caudal pedunculopontine nucleus”

Poster Presentations

1st:  Micaila Curtis – 3rd year, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology “Mechanical and Biological Regulation of Bone Extracellular Matrix by Aging”

2nd:  Douglas Kung – 2nd year, Tumor Biology “Decoding intrinsic disorder in the AF1 domain of estrogen receptor α”

3rd:  Lindsey Russ – 2nd year, Pharmacology & Physiology “ Ex-vivo  two-photon calcium imaging of vulnerable midbrain neurons”

2022 Student Research Day Abstracts

1st: Karli Gilbert – 5th year, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Pramipexole modulates pro-plasticity proteins, attenuates inflammation, and improves depressive-like behaviors in Balbc female mice

2nd: Phil Gross – 5th year, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Clearance of senescent-like microglia improves remyelination in a mouse model of focal demyelination

1st: Matthew Nelson – 2nd year, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Activation of toll like receptors by pathogenic alpha-synuclein

2nd: Luz Ruiz – 2nd year, Tumor Biology Investigating the BAIAP2-CDC42 interaction in medulloblastoma

3rd: Alexander Sukharev – 1st year rotation student, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Characterizing cross hemisphere projections from the pedunculopontine nucleus

2021 Student Research Day Abstracts

1st: Kelly Martin – 5th year, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Functional partitioning of sentence processing and emotional prosody in the right perisylvian cortex after left hemisphere perinatal stroke

2nd: Phillip Gross – 4th year, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Characterizing the emergence of senescent cells in a mouse model of focal demyelination

1st: Michel Fallah – 1st year, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Characterizing functional subgroups among cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine nucleus

2nd: Sambo Wilfried Banaba – 4th year, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology CRISPR-Cas9 Editing of Pfvps34 Encoding an Essential PI3 Kinase From Plasmodium falciparum

3rd: Luz Ruiz – 1st year, Tumor Biology Investigating Medulloblastoma Heterogeneity and Predicting Compound Response

1st: Holly Korthas – 4th Year Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Ph.D. Program High Frequency Head Impacts Disrupts Sleep Architecture and Circadian Rhythms

2nd: Kelly Martin – 4th Year Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience Ph.D. Program Language activation in the right hemisphere weakens and disperses with age

3rd: Gayatri Sanku – 3rd Year Microbiology and Immunology Ph.D. Program Unraveling the immune repertoire of SARS CoV-2- specific human T cell lines generated from unexposed individuals

1st/Tie: Paige Brooks – Biology

1st/Tie: Erin Wenzel – Pharmacology

2nd: Adam Caccavano – Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN)

First-Year Rotation Posters

1st: Marissa Laws – Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN)

2nd: Plamen Nikolov – Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN)

1st: Ivana Brekalo – Chemistry

2nd: Yang Yang — Biochemistry

3rd/Tie: Manasa Suresh — Microbiology and Immunology

3rd/Tie: Anjelika Gasilina – Biochemistry

Neuroscience

1st: Gabrielle-Ann Torre – Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN)

2nd: Katherine O’Connell – Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN)

Pharmacology

1st/Tie: Mai Abdel-Ghani – Pharmacology

1st/Tie: Seham Alaiyed – Pharmacology

Mackenzie Fama – Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) Self-reported inner speech in Aphasia is related to phonological retrieval

Zeus De los Santos – Chemistry Program Sensing of chiral compounds with a stereodynamic probe via multicomponent self-assembly

Amrita Pai – Cell Biology Program Hydralazine attenuates the development of hypertension in the female Dahl salt-sensitive rat in a T cell-independent manner

Poster Category 1: Behavior, Cognitive, Circuits & Network Dynamics

Shady El Damaty – Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) Intrinsic Connectivity of the Striatum in Developing Adolescents

Stephanie Sloley – Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) Repeat Concussion Causes Functional Changes in the Absence of Synapse Loss, Neuronal Cell Death and Neuroinflammation

Sarra Djemil – Pharmacology β4-containing receptors are necessary for network potentiation within in Vitro Hippocampal networks

Adam Caccavano – Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) Disruption of perineuronal nets increases the abundance of Hippocampal sharp wave ripples

Poster Category 2: Cellular & Molecular

Erin Conn – Cell Biology Program Discovery of the interaction between the Ewing sarcoma marker CD99 and V-ATPase

Chinyere Agbaegbu Iweka — Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) PRG-3 Modulates CSPG and LPA Inhibition of Neurite Outgrowth through the RhoA-ROCK Pathway

Bonnie Carney – Biochemistry Program Persistent ROS Damage Due to Decreased Ability to Scavenge ROS Contributes to Hypertrophic Scar Phenotype After Wound Closure

Kaela S. Singleton  – Ph.D. in Neuroscience Matching Your Sox: Cross Species function and regulation of Sox11 in neural development 

Alyssa King  – Ph.D. in Biology Regulation of small RNAs by CodY in  Staphylococcus aureus

Gabrielle Ann-Torre  – Ph.D. in Neuroscience / Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) The Modulatory Roles of IQ and Socioeconomic Status (SES) on Gray Matter Volume

Cameron McKay  – Ph.D. in Neuroscience / Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) Resting-state EEG as a tool to characterize brain functional connectivity

Zeus Allen De Los Santos – Ph.D. in Chemistry Sensing of chiral compounds with a stereodynamic probe via multicomponent self-assembly

Mohan Zhang –  Ph.D. in Chemistry Structural and Solubility Parameter Correlations of Gelation Abilities for Dihydroxylated Derivatives of Long-Chained, Naturally-Occurring Fatty Acids

Elizabeth Koch –  Ph.D. in Chemistry Phase Transformations and Dopant Effects in Thymine Monohydrate

Marina Solomos –  Ph.D. in Chemistry Template-Directed Nucleation of Diarylurea Polymorphs

Oral Presentations

Megan Allen –  Ph.D. in Neuroscience / Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) Astrocyte-Derived MMP-1 As An Effector of Neuronal Excitability

Mackenzie Fama –  Ph.D. in Neuroscience / Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) The Effects of Healthy Aging and Left Hemisphere Stroke on Statistical Language Learning

Ivana Brekalo –  Ph.D. in Chemistry Templation of Elusive Metal-Organic Frameworks in Solid State Synthesis.

Search Rochester.edu

Graduate Research Day

2023 Graduate Research Day

Friday, October 20, 2023 Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons

9-10 a.m.: Roundtable discussions 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Graduate Research Talks 4-5:30 p.m.: Awards ceremony and networking reception

The day will begin with informal roundtable discussions, followed by student presented research talks (10-minute presentations with 5-minute Q&A time) running throughout the day and will culminate with an informal awards ceremony and networking reception for AS&E graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Showcase your Research

We are looking to showcase the research by graduate students across the disciplines, including master’s and PhD candidates, in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. We invite participants to present a talk on any topic including completed research, works in progress, small group research projects, etc.

Applications must be submitted by  Wednesday September 20 at 5 p.m.  Submissions will be reviewed and applicants notified on or around than September 25, 2023.

Prepare to Present Your Research

To help students prepare for presenting at Graduate Research Day and/or other conferences/events, the following workshops and events are being offered.

Watch workshop video recording

Thursday, October 5 from noon-1 p.m. on Zoom

Learn how to maximize your networking experiences at university-specific and professional conference opportunities!

Dave Cota-Buckhout, assistant director of alumni engagement and career support, will facilitate a workshop to discuss essential strategies for starting and maintaining relationships and conversations with alumni and employers, how to insert yourself into individual and group discussions, and identifying your own desired goals and outcomes pre and post event.

This workshop will help students attending the GEPA Graduate Student and Alumni Social on Friday, October 6 as well as AS&E Graduate Research Day on October 20. All AS&E graduate students are welcome. Please contact Dave Cota-Buckhout at [email protected] with any questions.

“Communicating Your Research in Brief, Clear, and Relatable Terms”

Join River Campus librarians for this workshop on one of the following dates:

• In-person on Tuesday, October 3 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• On Zoom on Wednesday, October 4 from 1-2 p.m.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023 1-2 p.m., in-Person in Lattimore Hall, room 124

Would you like something professional to wear to Graduate Research Day? If so, check out the Career Clothing Closet Open House! There is no charge for the clothing, and you may keep whatever you choose. The Career Clothing Closet allows students to dress for success by selecting donated career and professional wear that includes suiting, dress shirts, dress pants, skirts, dresses, shoes, ties, jewelry, and other accessories.

Appointments to try on apparel and find the perfect outfit may be made via Handshake or at the Open House.

A Look Back at Graduate Research Day 2022

Thank you to all who attended our AS&E Graduate Research Day on October 19, 2022. Over 40 students presented their cutting-edge research from across the AS&E disciplines. We hope you made use of the opportunity to learn, engage across disciplines, network, and support each other. Thank you to the graduate presenters, students, faculty, judges, and others who attended.

Winners of “Best Talks” at 2022 AS&E Research Day:

• Daniel Gorman Jr., History, “Phantom Luminaries: Frederick Willis, Spiritualism, and Paranormal Investigators in the Age of Disruption”
• Katie Gregory, Earth & Environmental Sciences, “Engineering Better Tools to Assess Aquatic Greenhouse Gas Dynamics”
• Seungju Yeo Mechanical Engineering “Variability Estimation in a Crack Growth Simulation Model using Design of Experiments”
• Michael Chavrimootoo Computer Science “Separating and Collapsing Electoral Control Types”
• Sam Cox Chemical Engineering “Symmetric Molecular Dynamics”
• Zachary Barber, Philosophy “Why Mindfulness Matters for Morality”

• Student Research Day

Graduate and Medical Student Research Day 2024

Innovation and Collaboration 

Innovation and collaboration  set the stage for the second annual  School of Medicine Graduate and Medical Student Research Day to be held on Oct. 22, at the Tinkham Veale University Center.  The combined day of research exploration brings  graduate and medical students  together to showcase research accomplishments and facilitate cross-program collaboration. 

All faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend the School of Medicine Graduate and Medical Student Research Day to celebrate and engage the School's history and culture of innovation and discovery. 

The events throughout the day will facilitate the exchange of ideas between students and faculty while highlighting the outstanding research being conducted in the School of Medicine. 

Keynote Lecture 

"membrane trafficking in platelets both exo- and endocytosis, matters for hemostasis and beyond".

Presented by Sidney Whiteheart, PhD, FAHA, professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Whiteheart earned his PhD at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Gerald W. Hart, in the field of glycosylation and glycosyltransferases. As a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. James E. Rothman, he was involved in the discovery of SNARE proteins that mediate membrane fusion events. This led to the formulation of the “SNARE Hypothesis” to explain intracellular trafficking.

At the University of Kentucky (UK), he is a full professor with tenure. In 2010, he was awarded a UK University Research Professorship, in 2013 the Kirwan Prize and in 2019 an endowed professorship. In the past 30+ years, his group has been a key contributor to dissecting the molecular mechanisms of platelet secretion. The team has been a leader in assigning SNAREs and SNARE regulators to specific platelet secretion events and in probing the roles of platelet exo- and endocytosis in hemostasis, innate immune responses and vascular integrity maintenance. This work has resulted in more than 150 publications. Whiteheart is strongly committed to training and mentoring graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and undergraduates; more than 60% have been women or underserved minorities. He was selected by trainees for the UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award (2006), as a Women in Medical Sciences Mentor Award nominee (2019) and the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences Mentor Awardee (2023). He is the Director of the MD/Ph.D. training program at UK.

Abstract: "Membrane trafficking in platelets both exo- and endocytosis, matters for hemostasis and beyond"

Platelets, as vascular sentries, are capable of bidirectional interactions with their microenvironment through basic cellular processes whose significance is largely underexplored. Despite significant advances in understanding the signaling from vascular damage detection, our view of how activated platelets execute the steps needed for vascular homeostasis is limited. Over the years, we have probed the mechanisms of platelet secretion using genetically altered models, defining many of the proteins and steps involved in platelet granule cargo release. Our work on platelet endocytosis led to the discovery that platelets can take up pathogens, e.g., viruses, and can be activated. Using this collection of genetically modified animals, we have expanded our studies of how platelets contribute to vascular integrity and health. In this presentation, I will review some of our basic mechanistic discoveries about platelet exocytosis and discuss the roles of a few new proteins that we have shown are contributors ( i.e., Sec10/EXOC5, α synuclein, Cysteine String Protein α/DnaJC5). Also, I will discuss how platelet secretion and endocytosis affect hemostasis, aortic aneurysm formation, and surface wound healing. These examples illustrate the myriad roles that platelets play and how their bidirectional interactions with their microenvironment maintain vascular health.

Schedule Details

Information for:

• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Degrees & Programs
• Campus Maps
• Jobs & Careers
• Campus Shuttles
• Student Life
•   Giving

• Augusta University
• The Graduate School

Graduate Research Day

Share your research, sharpen your skills, and expand your reach.

Graduate Research Day showcases the groundbreaking research accomplishments of our graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Certificates and cash prizes are awarded in various categories, including Awards of Excellence in Research by a Graduate Student, Awards of Excellence in Research by a Postdoctoral Fellow, Program/Discipline Awards, and numerous speciality awards. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your work, sharpen your presentation skills, and recieve recongition for your research. In addition, The Graduate School is proud to continue our tradition of inviting a distinguished speaker each year to deliver the keynote speech. Honored guests have included Nobel Laureates and other highly esteemed researchers whose contributions have revolutionized science and medicine.

2025 Graduate Research Day

March 13 - 14, 2025.

Dr. Donna Arnett

• Keynote Speaker

PhD, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of South Carolina

Questions? Contact

Emily Crider Director, Graduate School Business Operations [email protected]

Keynote Speakers

Previous Keynote Speakers

FROM Presentation Preparation     TO Award Recognition

Poster board surface area is approximately 5' high and 4' wide. All posters will be mounted with pushpins. There are no special accommodations for oversized posters. Students must be at their posters for the duration of the session.

Oral presentation submissions are limited to Post Doctoral fellows. The time allotted for talks is 10 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for Q&A. 

Presentations will be judged based on overall scientific merit. Certificates and cash prizes will be awarded at the the Graduate Research Day award ceremony. First-year graduate students are not eligible for awards.

Call for Abstracts

Instructions for submitting abstracts for the 2025 Graduate Research Day will be distributed in early January 2025.

Center for Writing Excellence Workshops

More CWE Workshops | CWE Writing/Speaking Groups and Retreats

Need help writing a strong abstract? The Graduate School is here to help. We've partnered with the Center for Writing Excellence (CWE) to connect you with virtual workshops that will help you craft a precise, accurate, and accessible abstract. These workshops are available to all AU students and postdoctoral fellows.

Abstract Workshop

The first step towards presenting on GRD is submitting a strong abstract. Attend this virtual webinar to learn concrete strategies for sharpening your research abstract. The presentation will include tips for choosing content, organizing and formatting, and writing clearly and concisely.

Register for Workshop

Making Your Research Accessible to Other Disciplines

Expand your reach across disciplines and connect with a wide array of audiences.  Attend this virtual workshop to learn how to sharpen your oral and written communication skills. We can show you how to increase the clarity and accessibility of your ideas without sacrificing the complexity of your work. 

Our Programs

From ground-breaking research to outstanding education

The Graduate School provides a transformative graduate experience like no other. Rigorous academics, groundbreaking research, and a community of care prepares students to become innovators, change-makers, and leaders in a variety of disciplines.

• Future Students
• International

Current Students

Research and Graduate Studies

• School of Graduate Studies
• Centres and Institutes
• Research Chairs
• Events & Workshops
• ROMEO Login
• Research Ethics
• Animal Care

Student Research Day 2024

Explore incredible research being done by UFV students. This year's event was held on Thursday, March 28, and showcased projects by students from a variety of disciplines.

View award recipients

View research entries

View microlectures

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

What is ufv student research day, eligibility.

A highly-anticipated and cherished tradition of the UFV community, celebrating the achievements of UFV's student researchers...

Each year toward the end of Winter semester, UFV students are invited to participate in Student Research Day by designing and submitting a research poster and/or by presenting a snapshot of their research project in under two minutes at the Student Microlectures. The purpose? To showcase the current state of their faculty-supervised research with a diverse audience of UFV academics, students, family and friends, industry and community leaders, and other members of the Fraser Valley community.

UFV professors, many of whom are leading researchers in their fields, volunteer as judges to score students' posters on following criteria:

Research rigour: Research question, methodology, data analysis and discussion, conclusions 

Presentation: Layout / organization, use of colour / images / tables, writing, oral presentation

The top-scoring students in 10+ categories each receive a prestigious award and prize money ($200). All students walk away with an impressive piece of work that they can add to their resume, submit to other competitions, or present at research conferences.

Q: Who is eligible to participate in Student Research Day?

Student Research Day eligibility criteria have been re-assessed to honour a high level of student research in terms of time and labour investment (in and outside of the classroom), academic rigor, and student-faculty mentorship. Criteria:

• Undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled at UFV (full- or part-time)
• Has a dedicated UFV faculty research supervisor
• Is submitting a poster based on  faculty-supervised research  that they did as part of the UFV Work-Study program, as a Research Assistant, or as part of a research-intensive course (e.g., honours or Directed Studies)

Q: Are class-assigned research projects/posters eligible?

In UFV courses where multiple students or groups are assigned a research project/poster, only the  top two (2) research posters as determined by the Course Instructor  may enter Student Research Day. The Instructor is responsible for:

• Selecting the top two posters (e.g., through faculty scoring, a class vote, personal recommendation);
• Notify students and Leona Oakman (event lead) of their decision;
• Remind the top two students/teams to register for SRD.

If your course structure did not allow you to meet this deadline, please email Leona .

Q: My research isn't finished. Am I still eligible?

Yes. We understand that students' projects may be ongoing, span multiple semesters, or halted due to Covid. If you do not have final results or data ready to share, consider concluding your poster with one of these section headings: Discussion (e.g., project limitations, future directions), Implications (why this research matters), or Recommendations (further questions to be explored).

Past Student Research Day

Browse last year's Student Research Day projects: 

• View 2023 award recipients
• View 2023 entries
• View 2023 microlectures

Questions about UFV Student Research Day? Please contact:

Leona Oakman, BA

Coordinator, Communications and Events

Abbotsford campus, G290

Phone: 604-557-5274

• Policies and plans
• UFV Research Chairs
• Research Excellence Award
• Research Advisory Council
• CERA/Kipp Research Lab
• Internal funding
• Search funding opportunities
• UFV protocols: Research grants and partnerships
• New Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration
• ROSA release
• Major Grant Holders
• Sabbatical leave
• Find a research mentor
• Faculty Publication Celebration
• Faculty forms
• Faculty resources
• Graduate studies at UFV
• Undergraduate research positions
• 2024 award recipients
• 2024 research entries
• 2024 microlectures
• 2024 URE Awards
• Tangram Academic Journal
• EDI in research workshops
• 2024 URE award nomination form
• Event request form for Research Centres/Institutes
• Research Support Fund
• Ishpreet Anand
• Sien Barnett
• Katrina Frankenberger
• Larissa Kowalski
• Travis Gingerich
• Emily Rettich
• Lyndon Hunter
• Raveena Walia
• Elahe Tajbakhsh
• Kia Neilsen
• Alicia Dyck

"(Research has) been a really sweet way to optimize my time at school. Looking back, I’m so grateful that I did this. It has truly been a highlight to work under Shelley (Canning). She has been a wonderful mentor and has impacted me and my nursing practice immensely."

• – Rosaley Klassen
•    BSN
• 604-504-7441, ext. 4819

Future students

Academic Calendar Find your program How to Apply Book a tour Transfer credits Tuition & fees FAQs

Ask a question A to Z websites Directory Emergency contacts   IT Service Desk Reset your password Safety & Security myUFV

Academic Advising Centre Bookstore Register for courses Safe Student Community Shuttle bus Student services Timetables myClass CIVL Radio

Accessible UFV Accreditation Careers at UFV Cascades Athletics Make a gift Events Human Resources News Contact us

• Events Calendar
• Strauss Health Sciences Library
• Department A-Z Directory
• Campus Directory
• Faculty & Staff Resources
• Supporter & Alumni Resources
• Student Resources
• Mental Health Resources
• University Policies
• CU Anschutz Medical Campus
• CU Colorado Springs
• School of Dental Medicine

Graduate School

• School of Medicine
• College of Nursing
• Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Colorado School of Public Health
• Programs Graduate & Certificate Programs Summer Programs NIH PREP Program Request for Information
• Admissions Apply Prospective Students Tuition & Fees Application Fee Waivers Western Regional Graduate Program
• Learner Life Appropriate Treatment of Students and Postdocs CU Anschutz Student Right to Know About Colorado Health and Wellness Campus Organizations Housing Information
• News & Events Events News & Features Submit a Story
• About About Us Contact Us Coalition for Next Generation Life Science
• Resources Diversity and Equity Deadlines, Forms, & Policies Graduate Faculty Directory Central HR Working Remotely (OIT Resource)
• Career Development

Home News Agents of Change back to News

Agents of Change

Campus community comes together to celebrate postdoctoral research day 2024.

minute read

Every July, the campus community comes together to celebrate local postdoctoral scholars at Postdoc Research Day 2024 (PDRD’24.) This year, the day focused primarily on advocacy and empowerment through the “Agents of Change” theme.  

“[Postdocs] are essential to our research and education missions,” Dr. Jennifer Richer, dean of the Graduate School, said during her remarks at the event. “[They] drive excellent research and make essential contributions to graduate education.”  The day highlighted two impactful keynote speakers, Amber Ismael, PhD; and Kristan Uhlenbrock, MS.  Ismael, a postdoc alum at CU Anschutz from 2016-2018, is the senior program manager in the Office of Scientific Career Development at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, WA. Ismael’s talk, “Empowered Bites: Making Advocacy Accessible,” focused on how advocacy of national recommendations can improve institutional policy and create a better working environment for postdocs.   Uhlenbrock, executive director of the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, spoke about "A Scientist in the Wild: Engaging Outside of Academia and the Lab.” She provided insightful information about how science communication is vital to creating policy change.   A poster session was also held during PDRD ‘24, where more than 40 posters were presented. Awards and prize money were given in two categories: Clinical and Translational Sciences and Basic Sciences.   For more information about the day’s events, planners, and partners, visit PDRD’24’s event program.  Click through the photos below to see highlights of the day.  The next opportunity to celebrate postdocs at CU Anschutz will be during the third week of September for National Postdoc Appreciation Week.  

Topics: Stories

Related Stories

Stories    Career Development

Campus Mentorship Goes from a Simmer to a Boil

Announcements    Stories

New Graduate Program Receives Regent Approval

Cu anschutz, fitzsimons building.

13001 East 17th Place

Aurora, CO 80045

303-724-2915

Prospective Students

Send me more information

Report Misconduct

HelpCompass

• Website Feedback
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Accessibility
• Accreditation

© 2024  The Regents of the University of Colorado , a body corporate. All rights reserved.

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission . All trademarks are registered property of the University. Used by permission only.

• Mentored Faculty
• Current Grants
• Honors and Recognition
• Yale WRHR Scholars & Mentors
• Yale WRHR Advisory Committee
• Yale WRHR Application
• Postdoctoral Information
• Discovery to Cure Internships
• Secondary Faculty
• YURS Biobank

INFORMATION FOR

• Residents & Fellows
• Researchers

2024 Ob/Gyn Research and Graduation Day

It was a busy day during Yale Ob/Gyn's C. Lee Buxton Research Day on June 13.

After a welcome from department Chair Hugh Taylor, MD, the presentations and keynote began.

The 20th Annual Nathan Kase lecturer was Vivian Sung, MD, MPH, presenting on “Engaging Patients and Communities in Research."

Chief resident talks made up the first scientific session:

• Zoe Athens, MD, "Preventing Safety Events in Cesarean Scar Pregnancy: A Multidisciplinary Team Approach"
• Xiomara Brioso Rubio, MD , "Abnormal Uterine Bleeding in Anticoagulated Patients by Drug Class: Outcomes and Management"
• Rachel DeSpenza, MD, "Antiphospholipid Antibodies Induce a Type I and Type III Interferon Response in Human First Trimester Trophoblast Cells"
• Ecem Esencan, MD, "Abnormal Placentation in ART Pregnancies: Prevalence and Predictors"
• Julia Gelissen, MD, "Factors Associated with Completion of Genetic Testing in Patients Recently Diagnosed with Epithelial Ovarian Cancer"
• Bertie Geng, MD, "Absence of Adverse Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Patients with 1 or 2 Abnormal Values During Early Glucose Tolerance Testing"
• Ayomipo Madein, MD, "The Early COVID-19 Pandemic Period and Associated Gestational Weight Gain"
• Melissa Markowitz, MD, "Body Mass Index and Surgical Diagnosis of Endometriosis: Do Obese Patients Experience an Operative Delay?"
• Elisabeth Stark, MD, "Intrapartum Nipple Stimulation Therapy for Labor Induction: A Randomized Controlled External Pilot Study of Acceptability and Feasibility"

Awards were presented to:

• APGO Humanism in Teaching Award: France Galerneau, MD
• APGO Excellence in Teaching Award: Iman Berrahou, MD
• The Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology: Sona Jasani, MD
• Lee Buxton Faculty Teaching Award for Medical Student Education: Scott Casper, MD, MHS
• The Harold Behrman Award: Nina Stachenfeld, PhD
• The Patricia Johnson Award: Jaime Kramer, MS
• The Joel Silidker Award: James Curley
• The CREOG National Faculty Award: Olga Grechukhina, MD
• Gynecology Surgical Teaching Award: Nancy Ringel, MD, MS
• The Debbie Cibelli Award: Kiersten Rooney
• José Asis Memorial Award: Lena Sweeney, MD
• Stanley Lavietes Award: Richard Moscarelli, MD
• Nathan Kase Award: Audrey Merriam, MD, MS
• ASCCP Resident Award: Anabel Starosta, MD
• Society of Gynecologic Oncology Award: Emily Chang, MD
• The Joel Silidker Award: Ecem Esencan, MD
• The Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Award: Ecem Esencan, MD
• Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons: Ayomipo Madein, MD
• Resident Quality and Safety Award: Xiomara Brioso Rubio, MD, and Bertie Geng, MD
• The Ryan Program Resident Award: Melissa Markowitz, MD
• Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Residency Award: Rachel DeSpenza, MD
• 2024 Award for Excellence in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery: Rebecca Borneman, MD
• AAGL Resident Award: Rebecca Borneman, MD
• Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Outstanding Resident Award: Hannah Cunningham, MD
• Society for Academic Specialist in General Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Award: Hannah Cunningham, MD
• PGY1, Aliah Fonteh, MD
• PGY2, Akailah Mason-Otey, MD
• PGY3, Emily Chang, MD
• PGY4, E lisabeth Stark, MD
• Peter Grannum Award: Melissa Markowitz, MD
• Meehan Miller Award: Rachel DeSpenza, MD
• 2nd Year Teaching Award: Abdelrahman AlAshqar, MD
• Irving Friedman Award: Zoe Athens, MD, and Julia Gelissen, MD

The second scientific session featured presentations by fellows:

• Reproductive Endocrine and Infertility Fellow Caiyun Liao, MD, MPH , "Human Specific Epigenomic States in Spermatogenesis"
• Gynecologic Oncology Fellow Levent Mutlu, MD, "In Vivo and In Vitro Efficacy of Trastuzumab Deruxtecan in Uterine Serous Carcinoma"
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow Hillary Hosier, MD, "Association Between Isolated Abnormal 1-hour Glucose Challenge Test and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes"
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow Jia Jennifer Ding, MD, "A Pilot Study Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring Among Patients With a Low 1-hour Glucose Challenge Test Result Versus Controls to Detect Maternal Hypoglycemia"
• Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery Fellow Brad St. Martin, MD, MPH , "Nationwide Cost of Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery in the United States"

The 2024 C. Lee Buxton Research Day ended with a graduation banquet where research fellows and graduating residents were recognized and celebrated.

• Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences (Ob/Gyn)
• Awards & Honors

Featured in this article

• Hugh Taylor, MD
• Audrey Merriam, MD, MS
• Annalies Denoble, MD, MSc
• France Galerneau, MD, FRCS(C)
• Iman Berrahou, MD
• Sona Jasani, MD, FACOG
• Scott Casper, MD, MHS-Med Ed
• Nina Stachenfeld, PhD
• Jaime Kramer
• Olga Grechukhina, MD
• Nancy Ringel, MD, MS
• Kiersten Rooney
• Lena Sweeney
• Richard Moscarelli, MD
• Anabel Starosta, MD
• Aliah Fonteh
• Akailah Mason-Otey, MD, BS
• Abdelrahman AlAshqar, MD

• Majors & Minors
• About Our Faculty
• Academic Experience
• Academic Support
• Graduate Programs
• Get Involved
• Athletics & Sports at UWEC
• Meet Blugolds
• Living in Eau Claire
• Music, Arts, & Culture
• First-Year Visits
• Transfer Visits
• Group Visits
• Plan Your Trip
• What to Expect
• Virtual Tour Options
• First-Year Student
• Transfer Student
• International Students
• High School Special Student
• Graduate Student
• Other Student
• UWEC Application
• Contact Admissions
• Tuition & Fees
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships
• Net Price Calculator
• University Mission
• Campus History
• Accreditation
• Campus Events and Calendars
• Collaborations and Partnerships
• Points of Pride
• Work at UW-Eau Claire 

Grad event offers opportunity for recognition of research

Graduate students from multiple programs gathered Friday, May 5, at the Graduate Studies Research and Appreciation event at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Students shared their research projects with the campus and local communities, covering a wide range of topics and programs, including posters and oral presentations on their fields of expertise. 

Jordon Stish, a public history major originally from Hibbing, Minnesota, researched the National Statuary Hall collection. Encompassing 100 monuments located in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., each state provides two monuments honoring the most significant representatives of their state's history. Of those 100 monuments, only 11 honor women.  

"I wanted to study why there is a stark disparity between monuments honoring men and women, and I coined the term ‘acceptable activists’ to describe how women are chosen to be honored because they often fit the parameters of the status quo and their legacies can be used to push a cultural and political agenda," Stish says.  

After being awarded a grant from the American Association of University Women, Stish traveled to Washington, D.C., to research in the Library of Congress and National Archives, and studied National Statuary Hall in person on a Capitol tour. 

Excited for the opportunity to present at the event, Stish says, "It is so rewarding to be able to share my findings. I am currently working on turning my thesis into a journal article, so I am excited to give folks a 'sneak peek' before I publish." 

Kaitlyn Moore, originally from Woodbury, Minnesota, is a current Doctor of Nursing Practice student and 2017 bachelor of science graduate from UW-Eau Claire. Moore chose to stay with the same university for her graduate program because "I was confident I would get a great education and be a part of an inclusive community."  

Moore conducted research with assistance from Dr. Jeanette Olsen, associate professor of nursing, and Dr. Dalete Mota, associate professor of nursing, and focused on evidence-based quality improvement (EBQI) to implement a multi-dimensional system-based intervention to increase the Medicare annual wellness visit (AWV) completion rate among eligible clients at a family medicine clinic in western Wisconsin.  

This multi-dimensional intervention addressed barriers and increased Medicare AWV completion rates in the project setting. "The most rewarding aspect has been coming together with others to generate evidence-based interventions to meet desired outcomes,” Moore says. “It is always exciting to see your hard work make a difference in your field of study." 

Moore looked forward to the event as a chance to see new ideas brought forth by colleagues. "I wanted to see how our generation of graduates can help make advancements in our field of study."

Event highlights included the 2022-2023 recipient of the University’s Thesis of the Year award EdS – School Psychology student Katherine Michaels, presenting her work on the social, emotional, and behavioral health of elementary students as measured by the b.e.s.t. screener, and Dr. Sonja Myers, delivering the keynote address “What Does a Researcher Do? Answering the Question through Family Nursing Science.” 

After successfully hosting over 4,000 undergraduate students on campus for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) event, Mary Hoffman, UW-Eau Claire associate chancellor and dean of graduate studies, felt it was essential to showcase the high-level research of the university's graduate population. "Our institution is committed to facilitating research opportunities to increase students' educational understanding and provide them with meaningful experiences in their professional field," Hoffman says. 

UW-Eau Claire's graduate-level opportunities focus on increasing career potential and meeting regional workforce needs by emphasizing individualized attention from faculty mentors who provide years of professional experience to help students succeed. 

You may also like

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

105 Garfield Avenue  P.O. Box 4004  Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004 

715-836-4636

• Student Life
• Careers at Spelman

• About Spelman
• History in Brief
• Recruitment Calendar
• Schedule a Visit
• Admissions Events
• Take a Virtual Tour
• First Year Students
• Transfer Students
• Financial Aid and Scholarships
• Join our Mailing List

Admissions @ Spelman College

• Majors, Minors and Programs
• Domestic Exchange Program
• Study Abroad
• Academic Calendar
• Faculty Directory
• Office of the Provost

Academics @Spelman

• Spelman Lane
• Spelman Messenger
• Update Alumnae Contact Info
• Founders Day

Spelman Alumnae

• Campus Housing
• College-Sponsored Housing
• Current Students
• Health & Wellness
• Safety & Security
• Make a Gift
• Institutional Advancement Team

Spelman College Hosts its 35th Annual Research Day

• 29 May 2024

Spelman College recently hosted its 35th annual Research Day – a campus-wide celebration of the depth of our students’ intellectual curiosity. Classes were canceled to allow the whole campus to join in celebrating the students' scholarly and creative excellence.

Every year, Spelman takes pride in spotlighting the extraordinary scholarship and creative endeavors of our talented undergraduate students. Research Day reflects the breadth of scholarly engagement on campus, exemplified by the 30 different categories of fields/topics. Beginning that morning, 276 students showcased cutting-edge research projects to a team of over 150 judges. Below is a list of Spelman scholars and creatives who placed first for each category. Student abstracts are available to view here .

“Spelman’s tagline is ‘a choice to change the world,’ and Research Day illustrates well the depth of excellence of our undergraduate students who are mentored and prepared by our world-class faculty to go out into the world as scholars and leaders,” said Dr. Tasha Inniss, associate provost for research at Spelman College. “We in the Office of Research, Innovation, and Collaboration (ORIC) are always honored to organize this showcase of our students’ achievements and humbled by the contributions of so many internal and external partners."



Congratulations to the following students and their mentors for winning first place in their respective research categories.