Winning Research in Cancer Biology and Microbiology
More than 2,500 students participated in the annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Anaheim, California, and two Medgar Evers College students won awards for their research presentations. During the four-day conference, held November 13 ’16, the students participated in poster and oral presentations in twelve STEM disciplines. All student presentations were judged, and those receiving the highest scores in each scientific discipline were given an award during the closing banquet.
Seven MEC National Institute of General Medical Science Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (NIGMS-RISE) students attended the ABRCMS Conference. Four of those students presented research posters. Semika Burnette and Moises Rodriguez received awards for their research posters. Each award included a certificate of achievement and $300. Burnette, and her coauthor, Dr. Jens Schmidt from Michigan State University, won in the Cancer Biology category for her research conducted during her summer 2019 internship at MSU. Rodriguez, and his coauthors, Diana Downs and Mike Paxhia from the University of Georgia, won in the Microbiology category for his research conducted during his summer 2019 internship at the University of Georgia. Burnette and Rodriguez are mentored by MEC Biology Professor Dr. Alam Nur-E-Kamal. The two students work in the professor’s Cancer Biology Research Lab here at the College.
The students’ conference fees were covered by an NIGMS-Rise grant and a PBI grant from the Office of Academic Affairs. Dr. Moshin Patwary, Dean of the School of Science Health and Technology, is the Principal Investigator (PI) and Director of the NIH-NIGMS-Rise Program at the College. Patwary said this year was the first time MEC had two winners at the conclusion of this annual conference, which is one of the largest biomedical research conferences for minority students.
Students who attended the conference include: Ashley Kia Abraha, Semika Burnette, Alisna Kyla Florveus, Loveth Igbineweka, Chivell Mendosa, Richard Rivera, and Moises Rodriguez.
