ExploreUndergraduate Research

Editor: Ada Kelly Spring 2017 | Volume 12 | Issue 3

Introducing..... 2017 Science Scholars!

From left to right: Molly Brown, Jose Campuzano, Holly Barrett, Nan Ma

The Science Scholar award provides research and scholarship opportunities to a select few students in their junior year, in the fields of Biochemistry, Biol-ogy, Chemistry, Cognitive Science, Geology, Kinesiol-ogy, Physics, and Psychology. The URC is excited to introduce the 2017-18 Science Scholars, and to hear about the future plans of 2016’s Scholars! For 2017, Molly Brown, a Chemis-try major will be working with Professor Jeff Cannon studying the remote carbon-carbon bond formation via a nitrogen-centered radical. Biochemistry major, Jose Campuzano will be developing the framework for the development of a vaccine against corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis with Professor Karen Molinder. Holly Barrett, also a Biochemistry major, will be work-ing with Professor Roberta Pollock to test the effect of pooled recombinant proteins as vaccines against corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. Finally, Nan Ma, a Physics major, will be working with Professor Dan Snowden-Ifft to study the measurement of neutron flux at a shallow depth. As the Science Scholars from 2016 are ap-proaching the end of their senior year, each have plans to pursue their interests in science. Shirley Bae has been accepted to USC, UCI, and Northwestern medi-

cal schools, and is currently in the process of doing more interviews before deciding which school to go to. Natalie Dwulet is going to graduate school to get her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. She is in the process of visiting schools now but has not yet chosen where she will attend. Julia Hamilton is hoping to continue neuroscience research after college, hopefully involv-ing the electrophysiological method (which she is using in her current project at Occidental) and similar methodologies. After about two years out of college she hopes to go to medical school and continue perform-ing research as a physician. Chelsea Blankenchip plans to spend 11 months serving with City Year, which is an organization devoted to providing the educational support students need to graduate. Chelsea wrote that working as an educator for elementary through high school students will prepare her for her long-term goal of teaching microbiology at a college level. Casey Conlon is planning on taking a break from school for a year. During this time off, she’ll prepare to apply to veterinary school, and will volunteer at her local ani-mal shelter and several other organizations focused on animal welfare. We are wishing the best of luck to the Science Scholars, old and new!

Undergraduate Research Center Undergraduate Research Center

Four Oxy Seniors presented at the Midwinter Conference of Immunologists this past month. Jasmine Chen, Casey Conlon, Stan Gosliner, and Connie Li presented their research with mentors, Professors Roberta Pollock and Karen Molinder. The students received the Biolegend Young Investigator Travel Award for an Out-standing Poster! The award was given to them jointly for their combined posters. The award includes a $1000 cash award and a certificate during the American Association of Immunologists Business Meeting and Awards Presentation. Of the 85 posters that were presented at the conference, these four students were the only undergraduates there; the rest of the presenters were graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and young faculty. Congratulations to these four, impressive students! These students were able to travel to the conference at the Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California with the help of the URC’s ASP Conference Travel grant. The conference travel grant is available during the academic year for students looking to present the results of their research. Typically grants are limited to $350 per project, and each student is limited to one ASP Conference grant per academic year. Look on our website at oxy.edu/undergraduate-research-center/academic-year-opportunities/asp-conference-travel for more information on the application process. In addition to the immunology conference that these four students attended, the URC is funding Nick Foy ‘17 and Ed Sartor ‘17 to go to San Francisco for the American Chemical Society National Meeting. Impor-tant to keep in mind, travel grant money goes to students from all majors, and we encourage all fields of study to apply.

Oxy students win prestegious award at Midwinter Immunology Conference

Congratulations to the 2016 Winners! Oxy’s director of national and international fellowships, Kim Babon, has announced that the college is once again a top Fulbright producer! Nine new awardees have been selected from among Oxy students and alumni, bringing our total up to 94 Fulbright winners since 2003. The nine are Carolina Cardoza ’16, Lichun Chang ’16, Zachary Del Rosario ’13, Claudia Dumpson ’16, Ella Fornaari ’16, Zoe Namba ’16, Sebastian Ohara-Saft ’16, and Samuel Ravetz ’16. The URC would like to congratulate all of the fellowship winners but, in particular, we send best wishes to those who are past URC program participants: Lichun Lisa Chang was a participant in the 2014 Summer Research Program, Zoe Namba was a participant in the 2015 Summer Research Program, and Ella Fonari was an ASP grant recipient.

Check out this spring’s Academic Student Projects Every semester students work with professor(s) to conduct research in their field of interest. This spring fifteen students are using URC Academic Student Project (ASP) grant money to fund their research. Spring 2017’s researchers range from Chemistry majors to Cognitive Science to Biology to a Sociology and Spanish double major, and to Biochemistry. This semes-ter’s project titles include Understanding the Mechanism Electrode-Bound Cytochrom P450 for Biocatalysis, Enanti-oselective Total Synthesis of Isofagomine, Studies on the Gut Microbiome of the Hematophagous Elthusa and Nerocila Marine Isopoda, Cloud-Based Autonomous Robot System, Decoding the Bacterial Community in the Digestive Tract of Oncopeltus Fasciatus, among numerous others. ASP grants are available to students in all majors. Visit our website at oxy.edu/undergraduate-research-center/academic-year-opportunities/academic-student-projects to learn more about the application process, deadlines, and other opportunities for funding at the URC. We’re excited to see the results of the student proj-ects this semester!

The 31st Annual National Conference on Under-graduate Research (NCUR) is being held at the Univer-sity of Memphis from April 6-8, 2017. Occidental is proud to be sending seven students to represent the college and present their independent research and/or creative projects. This year at NCUR majors range from Critical Theory and Social Justice to Biology to Religious Studies, and more. The students who have had their work accepted for presentation at NCUR are: Venitia Boyce ‘19, Sam Clendenning ‘18, Jenny Dally ‘17, Marcus Forbes ‘18, Tatum Katz ‘17, Tim Lewis ’17 and Perrin Shyne ‘20. Clendenning, Katz and Lewis also received funding to

present their work at the fall SCCUR confer-ence at UC Riverside in November 2016. Senior Art and Art History major, Jenny Dally, notes that by presenting her work at

NCUR she will have the opportunity to “receive feedback from a number of noted professionals in my field.” In addition, she stated her desire to attend and present at NCUR was partially driven by the idea that she could “positively represent Occidental as an institution dedi-cated to its students and their success.”With financial support from the URC, all of these stu-dents will have the opportunity to present their work and to represent Occidental in Memphis. And, along with the conference, we hope they find time to experi-ence some of the cultural, historical and entertainment opportunities that Memphis offers!

Oxy students are NCUR-bound!

ASP grant recipient, Ed Sartor ‘17

conducts research in the

Chemistry lab.

Contact us!Email: urc@oxy.edu Phone: (323)259-1414Location: Library, 2nd Floor, Old Wing, Room 253AWebsite: oxy.edu/undergraduate-research-center

Find us on Facebook:www.facebook/OxyURC

*all applications are due @ 4pm on deadline dates

URC Deadlines to Note

24 Winter Break Richter-ASP final reports due email to urc@oxy.edu

3 Summer Research Program 2017 awards announced after 3pm via email

6-8 NCUR 2017 at the University of Memphis7 Summer Research Program (SRP) 2017 contracts due* 17 Spring Break Richter-ASP final reports due email urc@oxy.edu

April

March

February

NCUR What: National Conference on Undergraduate ResearchWhere: University of MemphisWhen: April 6-8, 2017

The URC is thrilled to fund seven students to attend the Conference !