Queensborough Students Declared Winners at Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students
Biology students Adolfo Coyotl and Erick Subillaga were named the winners in the Microbiology and Neurobiology Categories, respectively, at the 2016 Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). The ABRCMS conference, attended by 12 additional Queensborough presenters, is the largest undergraduate research conference for underrepresented students in the country. It was attended by nearly 4000 students, faculty and administrators from over 800 colleges and universities. There were over 1800 posters presented this year.
“I am so proud of all the Queensborough students who presented at this year's ABRCMS,” said Dr. Nidhi Gadura, Associate Professor and Chair, Biological Sciences & Geology. “I am especially proud of our QCC MSEIP students, Adolfo and Erick, who won the competition. This success speaks to the hard work and dedication of their mentors Drs. Joan Petersen and Mohammad Javdan, who spent time in the lab with the students to help them prepare for their presentations. The competition is stiff as students are being judged along with their senior college peers from universities across the nation. Queensborough should be proud of the quality of research we do on our campus that helps us stand out." Dr. Gadura is the Research Integrity Officer and Project Director for QCC Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP).
Winner in Microbiology Category
Adolfo Coyotl
Isolation and Identification of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria from New York City Soil Samples
Adolfo was supported by QCC MSEIP
Winner in Neurobiology Category
Erick Subillaga
Pesticides and Alzheimer’s Disease: High Mobility Group Box1 Protein (Hmgb1) Pathway and Microglia Dysfunction
Erick was supported by QCC MSEIP program
Additional Queensborough Student Presenters:
Oscar J. Zagalo
Identification of Plankton Species in the Hempstead Harbor Region Using DNA Barcoding
BioPREP and QCC MSEIP program
Harpreet Singh
Using Co1 Vs. 16s rRNA DNA Barcoding for Taxon Clustering and Phylogenetic Resolution in Vertebrates
QCC MSEIP program and CUNY Research Scholar Program
Francisco I. Caban
Investigating Sex Differences in the Autophagy Response to Fasting in Mice
BioPREP and QCC MSEIP program and CUNY Research Scholar
Margaret De Los Santos
Role of Loop 6 in Cyclic-di-GMP Specific Phosphodiesterase in Shewanella woodyi
BioPREP and QCC MSEIP program and CUNY Research Scholar
Nicholas Carrero and Rawlric Sumner
Synthesis of Ruthenium Nanoparticle-Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composites for the Degradation of Congo Red Dye
Bridges/RIMS program
Rashida R. Farokhi
Neuronal Cell Death and Fluoro-Jade C Staining in Rat Model of Alzheimer Disease
Bridges/RIMS program
Nataly Jara
Functional Characterization of the Actin-Binding Domain of the Drosophila Protein Dunc115
Bridges/RIMS program
Mathiu Perez Rodriguez
Antibacterial Activity and Temporal Resistance of Different Cultivars of Solanum Tuberosum Wound-Healing Extracts in E. coli & E. carotovora Bacterial Strains
Bridges/RIMS program
Raquel Romaine
Memory Impairments during Cognitive Tasks in a Streptozotocin Induced Rat Model of Sporadic Alzheimer’s disease
Bridges/RIMS program
Yafit Muladjanov
Green Fluorescent Protein- Rhomboid Protease Fusion.
NSF RUI
Liliana Lara
Fusing a Green Fluorescent Protein to SCO2139, a Streptomyces coelicolor Rhomboid Protease,
CUNY Scholars, QCC MSEIP and NSF RUI
Joangela J. Nouel, Edward Nouel
Microbiomes Associated to Plant Roots in NYC Soil
CUNY Scholars, CUNY Joint Seed Program
The outstanding faculty mentors who generously dedicated their time and guidance to the student presenters are:
Biological Sciences & Geology: Dr. Nidhi Gadura, Associate Professor and Chairperson; Dr. Joan Petersen, Associate Professor; Dr. Mohammad Javdan, Assistant Professor; Dr. Julian Stark, Associate Professor; Dr. Naydu Carmona, Assistant Professor and Dr. Monica Trujillo, Associate Professor; and Dr. Regina Alvarez, Substitute Associate Professor;
Drs. Maricedes Acosta Martinez, Kelly Warren, and Dominique E. Williams, Stony Brook University; Dr. Francisco Villegas, York College; Drs. Christopher Roblodowski and Qi He, Brooklyn College; and Dr. Ruth E. Stark, The City College of New York.
Chemistry: Dr. Tirandai Hemraj-Benny, Associate Professor; Dr. Rakhi Agarwal, Assistant Professor, Gujarat Forensic Science University and Dr. Akira Kawamura, Associate Professor, Hunter College.
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