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2 undergrads take top honors for biomedical research 4:02 p.m., Dec. 21, 2006--Two University of Delaware students earned first-place awards in their respective research poster session categories at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) held in November in Anaheim, Calif. Chati Lum Zony, a junior biochemistry major, and Charles Drummer IV, a junior biological sciences major--both participants in the HHMI NUCLEUS (Howard Hughes Medical Institute Network of Undergraduate Collaborative Learning Experiences for Under-represented Scholars) program--received awards in the biomedical sciences and physiological sciences, respectively. Also presenting at the conference were HHMI NUCLEUS students Shaila G. Parker, a senior biochemistry major and medical humanities minor and McNair Scholar; Tyanna Hadley, a sophomore biochemistry and legal studies major; and Lauretta Ovadje, an HHMI research scholar and senior biology and environmental science major at Lincoln University. More than 1,400 students attended the event, including 1,100 who presented biomedical research papers. Awards of $250 were presented to 120 undergraduates who received the highest scores in their respective scientific disciplines and educational levels. Zony studied how the enzyme glutathione S-transferase pi interfaces with, and the mechanisms by which it appears to reactivate, the antioxidant enzyme 1-cystein peroxiredoxin. Drummer was recognized for research contributing to the understanding of the mechanism of how fat is stored in fruit flies. Carlton Cooper, assistant professor of biological sciences, served as a judge at the conference, and Anissa Brown, research assistant and biological sciences doctoral candidate, presented a poster. The four-day conference is an opportunity for minority students to present their work in a scientific forum and network with undergraduate and graduate students and college and university faculty nationwide. |