GSBMS Hosts Largest STAR Program to Date
The Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences’ Summer Trainees in Academic Research (STAR) program welcomed more than 60 high school and undergraduate students to New York Medical College (NYMC) this summer.
They spent their days in laboratories, attended weekly seminars on various scientific topics, learned laboratory practices and safety and conducted research in an active laboratory under the guidance of a NYMC faculty mentor. The culmination of their summertime work was the Seventh Annual STAR Student Research Forum on August 9. The Medical Education Center’s Wilner Lobby was packed where participants presented their work in poster format, followed by oral presentations in the Chouake Auditorium. Dana G. Mordue, Ph.D., interim dean of the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences and associate professor of microbiology and immunology, engaged the young audience with her presentation, “Babesiosis: the Emerging Malaria-like Disease in Your Backyard.”
“I am extremely proud and satisfied with what this year’s participants have achieved during their six short summer weeks here. STAR is a great education program that promotes name recognition for NYMC locally and nationally, and at the same time prepares these young people to be the next generation young scientists and physicians. It is a win-win situation for our institution.” said Austin M. Guo, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology and director of the STAR program.
View the STAR Research Forum photo gallery.
Oral Presentation
Identification of Genetic Elements Associated with Borrelia burgdorferi Dissemination
Christopher Pritting
Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C.
Faculty Mentor: Weihua Huang, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology
Poster Presentations
Immune Stimulation by Bacterial Small RNA’s
Olivia Alvarez
Fox Lane High School, Bedford, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Carl V. Hamby, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology
The Effects of Cannabidiol on the Memory of Drosophila Melanogaster
Supriya Baskaran
Hendrick Hudson High School, Montrose, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Frances Hannan, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell biology and anatomy
The Effects of Estrogens on Spatial and Environmental Novelty
Henry Blair
Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Jana Velíšková, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy, and obstetrics and gynecology
Assessment of DNA Damage Associated with Trans-2-Hexenal (HEX) in the Chicken Egg Genotoxicity Assay (CEGA)
Annika Braun
Hackley School, Tarrytown, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Tetyana Kobets, M.D., M.S.P.H., assistant professor of pathology
The Effect of Sequence Variation on Lyme Disease Patient Antibody Binding to C6 Peptide
Jennifer Coronel
Peekskill High School, Peekskill, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Paul Arnaboldi. Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology
Inhibition of sEH Rescues Nitric Oxide Bioavailability in High Fructose Fed Young Rats via Decreasing Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress
Roopa Duvvi
Yorktown High School, Yorktown, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Dong Sun, M.D., Ph.D., professor of physiology
Functional Analyses of Pannexin 1 and its Variants
Nancy (Xiaojun) Feng
Scarsdale High School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Eliana Scemes, Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy
Test for Cannibalism of Multipotent Adult Stem Cells by an A549 Cancer Cell Line
Julia Friedman
Sleepy Hollow High School, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Paul Lucas, Ph.D., associate professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of orthopaedic research
Immune Checkpoint Proteins Contribute to Drug Resistance in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer
Nabil Kamal
Yorktown High School, Yorktown, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Raj Tiwari, Ph.D., professor and interim chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Quantification of Myocytes that Exhibit a Fetal Gene Program in the Infarcted Mouse Heart
Jeun-Fai Lam
Dobbs Ferry High School, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Carol A. Eisenberg, Ph.D., associate professor of physiology
Interactive Consequences of Immune Checkpoint Proteins and Vemurafenib in Melanoma
Aryan Malhotra
University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
Faculty Mentor: Raj Tiwari, Ph.D., professor and interim chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
3, 3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) Inhibits Growth of Triple Negative Breast Cancer by Up-Regulation of ERβ
Nikhil Malik
Edgemont Junior-Senior High School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Raj Tiwari, Ph.D., professor and interim chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Evaluating the Effects of Altering Pannexin on Seizures
Robin Masterson
Somers High School, Somers, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Jana Velíšková, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy, and obstetrics and gynecology
The Role of Inflammation and IL-6 in Infantile Spasms
Jacqueline Mundadan
Ossining High School, Ossining, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Libor Velíšek, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy, pediatrics, and neurology
Evaluation of Genotoxic Potential of 4-Chloro-Ortho-Toluidine Using the Chicken Egg Genotoxicity Assay (CEGA)
Miraj Pithadia
Dobbs Ferry High School, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Tetyana Cheairs (Kobets), M.D., M.S.P.H., assistant professor of pathology
Effect of CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene 33 Deletion on Cr(VI)-Transformed Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells
Sarah Platkin
Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Dazhong Xu, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology
The Effect of Caffeine on the Behavior and Dopaminergic Neurons in Drosophila Models Developing Parkinson's disease
Kalsoom Rashid
White Plains High School, White Plains, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Frances Hannan, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell biology and anatomy
In the Bullseye: Borrelia burgdorferi Generates Differential Regulation in the Skin Microbiome of Lyme Disease Patients
Ila Rosen
John Jay High School, Cross River, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Mary Petzke, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology
Micro-RNA-21 is Associated with Nitrogen Mustard Treated Skin Inflammation on Mouse Keratinocyte Pam212 Cell
Samantha Saca
Peekskill High School, Peekskill, N.Y.
Grace Lena
Pawling High School, Pawling, N.Y.
Daly Stoop
Briarcliff High School, Briarcliff, N.Y.
Faculty Mentors: Diane E. Heck, Ph.D., professor of public health and Hong-Duck Kim, Ph.D., associate professor of public health
Pathways affected by the Brd2 Gene in the Development of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy
Patrick Saint Ange
Ossining High School, Ossining, NY
Faculty Mentor: Libor Velíšek, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy, pediatrics, and neurology
Role of Estrogens in Pattern Separation
Raissa Zuim Dantas de Souza
Nebraska Wesleyan U, Lincoln, NE
Faculty Mentor: Jana Velíšková, M.D., Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy, and obstetrics and gynecology
Utilizing Drug Intervention to Inhibit Delayed Neuronal Death by Migrainous Spreading Depolarizations
Jacquelyn F. Stochel
Yorktown High School, Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Patric K. Stanton, Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy and neurology
Postnatal-Induced Autism Impairs Social Behavior, Alters the Seizure Threshold and Reduces Neun Antigenicity within the Amygdala Cortical Complex
Strzeletski G.R.
Ossining High School, Ossining, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Linda K. Friedman, Ph.D., research associate professor of cell biology and anatomy
Cloning PcrV for a Vaccine Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection
Christina Toumanios
Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
Faculty Mentor: Paul Arnaboldi. Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology
The Benefits of Resveratrol and the Increased Lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster Fed Diets High in Fat
Sarina Iraj
Barnard College, New York, NY
Larissa Iraj
Harrison High School, Harrison, NY
Faculty Mentors: Faculty Mentor: Frances Hannan, Ph.D., assistant professor of cell biology and anatomy, and Barbara Doonan, Ph.D., research fellow in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy
Abstracts
Exploring Cells within Adult Skeletal Muscle that Exhibit Cardiogenic Potential
Joshua Amir
Ardsley High School, Ardsley, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Carol A. Eisenberg, Ph.D., associate professor of physiology
Isolation and Immunoassay of Exosomes in the Avian Optic Chiasm
Ashwin Sriskanthan
Scarsdale High School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Faculty Mentor: Stuart A. Newman, Ph.D., professor of cell biology and anatomy