The Division of Science and
Mathematics and the Emerging Caribbean Scientists (ECS) program are
pleased to announce that Shellese Cannonier, Mary Mootoo, Odari
Thomas and Cherissre Tyrell-Boateng are the winners of the 11th
Annual Fall Student Research Symposium. The symposium was held on
September 20, 2009 on the University of the Virgin Islands St.
Thomas Campus.
The symposium offers undergraduate student researchers at UVI an
opportunity to gain experience in making formal presentations of
their research findings. Each year, the symposium's student
presentations are evaluated by a panel of judges for scientific
content and clarity of presentation. More than 50 UVI students
presented research that they conducted over the summer at UVI and
other national institutions. A faculty mentor provided assistance
for each project.
Shellese Cannonier, a junior biology major, was honored for her
summer research project, "Nuclear Receptors Identified in Migratory
Cells of Drosophila Egg Chambers". Her faculty advisor for this
project was Dr. Michelle Starz-Gaiano, Assistant Professor of
Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
County. Cannonier is a Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC)
Research Trainee. This summer she also participated in a research
internship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with Dr.
Susan Wong. She continues to conduct research at UVI with Dr.
Sandra Romano on coral genetics.
Mary Mootoo, a senior Computer Science major, was distinguished for
her research on "Bayesian Networks for Mining Census Data in Order
to Develop Effective Marketing Strategies". Mootoo is an
Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program
(HBCU-UP) Scholar. She was mentored by UVI Associate Professor of
Computer Science, Dr. Marc Boumedine in the 2009 Science
Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program at UVI this
summer. She continues to conduct research with Dr. Boumedine.
Odari Thomas, a sophomore applied mathematics major, was recognized for his research entitled "Mathematical Models of Digital Sounds to reproduce Human voices." Thomas is a South East Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (SEAGEP) Scholar, He also participated in the Summer Bridge 2 Calculus Program in 2008.
Thomas was mentored by Dr. Dirk Schlingmann in the 2009 Sophomore Science Research Institute (SSRI) at UVI this summer. Dr. Schlingmann is Professor of Mathematics at Eastern Kentucky University. This was his first competitive presentation. He is currently studying star formation with his UVI mentor Professor Cynthia Gomez Martin.
Cherissre Tyrell-Boateng is a senior biology major and a MARC Research Trainee. She was honored for her research entitled "Can a Conserved Regulator for Fungal Morphology Propagate as a Prion?" Her advisor over the summer was Dr. Alexander Johnson of the Department of Microbiology/Immunology, University of California San Francisco.
Since 2007, Cherissre has conducted research with her UVI Mentor
Dr. Romano. She won the first-time presenter award at the 2007 Fall
Research Symposium for her research on coral genetics. She was an
MBRS RISE Scholar from 2007-2008.
Participants presented research projects under the direction of
mentors at UVI and at other universities and at laboratories across
the nation. Presenters showcased their research on a variety of
topics related to number theory, bacterial flora, St. Croix sheep
population, reef fish, DNA classification, acetaminophen
absorption, ovarian cancer, and the risk factors of adoption in
shelter puppies and kittens. Some students conducted research
during UVI's on-campus Sophomore Science Research Institute (SSRI)
and the Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) programs.
UVI students also conducted research at the Lung and Blood
Institute at the National Institutes of Health, the Pacific
Northwest National Laboratories, Rutgers University, Purdue
University's School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland,
the University of Iowa, Carnegie Mellon University, San Francisco
State University, Mount Desert Island Biological Lab, Boston
University, the University of South Carolina Medical School and
other locations.
It was UVI President David Hall's first time at the Fall Research
Symposium and he said, "The Fall Research Symposium was one of the
most informative and inspirational events I have witnessed as
president of the University of the Virgin Islands. The work of our
students, their faculty mentors, and the faculty of the Division of
Science and Math are shining examples of the intellectual power and
scientific curiosity of this University."
Provost AI Hassan Musah was also impressed with the student presentations. "This is one of those rare opportunities to catch a glimpse of the future, for with these proceedings and events leading to it, the seeds of tomorrow's science and scientist is cultivated, nurtured and and mentored. It is indeed a privilege to be a witness to this," he said.
Science and Mathematics Division Dean Camille McKayle, who has been a driving force behind the symposium since it began.
"The research symposium is a reflection of student and faculty
commitment to excellence at UVI. Working one on one with faculty,
students are able to enhance their undergraduate education in a way
that prepares them for careers or graduate study in the sciences,"
Dr. McKayle said.
Student research projects are supported by grants from many
sources, including funding from the National Science Foundation's
HBCU-UP program, the South East Alliance for Graduate Education and
the Professoriate (SEAGEP), the Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) Scholars programs, VI-EPSCoR, the MARC and
RISE programs of the National Institutes of Health, and by grants
supporting their faculty mentors' scientific research. General
support is also provided by UVI's Division of Science and
Mathematics.
The winners will receive certificates at UVI's Spring Academic
Awards Ceremony.
Additional information can be found at the Emerging Caribbean
Scientists program web site, http://ecs.uvi.edu or via email at
ecs@uvi.edu.