Cameron students present findings at NIH-funded summer program

Two Cameron University students were selected as winners of their categories while presenting original research during the recently completed Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium in Oklahoma City.

SURP includes several summer research programs, including the Oklahoma IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (OK-INBRE), and is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Eight Cameron students presented their research posters at the symposium. Six were paired with CU faculty mentors and completed their research projects on Cameron's campus.

A total of 85 students, mostly from Oklahoma colleges and universities - including the state's research institutions - participated. Other states represented in the summer program came from Arkansas, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas.

All students presented their research for judging on July 23 at the OU Health Sciences campus in Oklahoma City, then again on July 24 during a poster session at the OUHSC.

"We are overjoyed that, once again, Cameron students were selected as finalists," said Dr. Kyle Moore, chair of CU's Department of Chemistry, Physics and Engineering. "Both students presented oral versions of their research as 'flash talks' for the whole symposium."

The two finalists were Felicity Gomez and Mollie Wheeler. Gomez's research, "Chemical Profiling and Bioactive Compound Identification in Medicinal Teas: An Agro-Climatic and Phytochemical Study Using HPLC and GC-MS," was done under the mentorship of CU professor Dr. K.D. Priyasantha. Dr. Ann Nalley was the mentor for Wheeler's research, "Molecular Docking and Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Imidazole Derivatives as Potential CYP51B Inhibitors in Aspergillus Fumigatus."

Other Cameron students who presented projects at the OK-INBRE event were Kaleb Cossette, whose research project, "Microwave-Assisted Ring Opening Polymerization of L-Lactide Using Capsaicin," was conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Mohammad Ebqa-ai. Ebqa-ai also mentored McKalay Estep on her project, "Microwave-Assisted Ring Opening Polymerization of L-Lactide Using Chlorothymol Drug," and Lydia Park's project, "Microwave-Assisted Ring Opening Polymerization of L-Lactide Using Acetaminophen."

Other presentations were Arath Javier with "Effects of Brain Endothelial-Specific ATGL Knockdown on Microvascular Density and GLIAL Markers During Aging," mentored by Dr. Priya Balasubramanian, of the OU Health Campus; Elisa Valencia Mitchell with "Shared Hepatic Transcriptomic Signatures of Microplastic Exposure: A Meta-Analysis Across Polystyrene and Polyethylene Murine Models," mentored by Dr. Woncheol Jung of the OUHC; and Anton Pickens with "Cross-Linking in the F0 Portion of F1F0 Synthase," mentored by Dr. Kyle Moore.

PR#26-083