Bloomfield College Hosts 4th Annual Student Research Day

On Thursday, April 20, the McNair Scholars Program and the Emerging Leaders in STEM (ELS) program at Bloomfield College hosted its fourth annual Student Research Day.

Many of the College community gathered in the Learning Hub in the Library as students presented their research capstones.

The students, many of whom will graduate in May, had an impressive knowledge base and a real understanding of their fields of study.

“The students did an outstanding job. They are more comfortable sharing their research as a result of presenting their findings at various conferences, said Beverly Fields, Director of the McNair Scholars Program. “Conducting research as an undergraduate provides a strong foundation for graduate school.”

Assisted by Dr. Gang Wang and Dr. Nerissa C. Brown from University of Delaware, Anyelo Almonte ’17 (McNair Scholar) presented on social media and financial performance; Cristian Arias ’18 (McNair Scholar) was mentored by Dr. Dmitri Kudryashov of The Ohio State University and presented on elucidating the role of actin binding proteins in the pathogenicity of ADP-ribosylating toxins; Rishana Ubah ’17 (McNair Scholar), whose mentor was Dr. Susannah Scott of  the University of California, Santa Barbara, presented on kinetic studies of base-assisted alcohols oxidations by a homogeneous vanadium; Kenny Vu ’17 (McNair Scholar) presented on the expression status of TNF-a, TNFR-1, and TNFR-2 in breast cancer cells and was assisted by Dr. Tammy Castro of Bloomfield College.

Research is required of McNair Scholars and is supported by the McNair grant. 

Dr. Castro also acted as faculty mentor to Shaida Muhammed ’17 (ELS Program) who presented on the optimization of bird blood for downstream PCR.

The purpose of high achieving programs like these is to create an academic environment that encourages and motivates Bloomfield College students to really engross themselves in research, shine in their academic work, and reach their full potential as leaders and socially responsible members of society.

“Presenting research is both a celebration and a skill,” said Nkemdilim Ukwu, Assistant Director, McNair Scholars Program. “Student Research Day was a great event showcasing both the preparation and success of students.”

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