Student Spotlight

Noteworthy:

• UVI STEM Students Win National Awards at the 2018 ERN Conference - Torhera Durand, Genique Nicholas, Quianah Joyce
• Two UVI Students Win National Awards at Prestigious Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. - Deidre Lee and Hairol Breton
• Nirisha Commodore, sophomore Biology major, wins best poster award in microbiology at the 2015 ABRCMS conference in Seattle.
• Marisha Perkins and Stephan Bittwerwolf (CSM '13) received NSF Research Fellowships in 2015. Click here for more details.
• Five alumni (Bertrum Foster, Shana Augustin, Jacinthia Greaux, Verleen McSween, Kailah Davis) earned PhDs in 2013. Click here to read the full story.
• Ralph Hazlewood, a Dean’s Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Iowa, researches glaucoma. In his work as a Ph.D. candidate in the Genetics Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, Hazlewood identifies and characterizes the genes that cause glaucoma and similar diseases. He is a former UVI RISE Research Scholar. Click here to read more.
• Nicole Fleming, former RISE Scholar, was granted a prestigious 3-year NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. She is attending a PhD program at UNC-Chapel Hill.
• Yakini Brandy, a former MARC Research Trainee at UVI, received her PhD in Organic Chemistry from Howard University in 2012 and is currently a visiting professor at UVI.

Students Participating in Off-Campus Summer 2009 Research Programs:

• Joselyn Allen, a MARC Research Trainee, conducted research with Mentor Dr. Annette Litster on the Risk factors delaying the transition from the isolation ward to the adoption floor in puppies and kittens as part of Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine 2009 Undergraduate Student Summer Veterinary Research Fellowship Program .
• MBRS RISE Research Scholars, Frazly Alexander and Agene' Rogers, assisted Dr. Paul Jobsis, a UVI Associate Professor of Biology, with his research project entitled Cardiac Physiology Research and Investigation into the mechanical and Optical Properties of the Heart's Visceral Pericardium at the Laboratory of Cardiac Energetic at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD/Washington, DC.
• Cyril Andrews and Shawn Garcia attended the SEAGEP summer undergraduate research experience at the University of Florida. Sean Garcia is a SEAGEP Scholar.
• Hema Balkaran, a MBRS RISE Research Scholar, worked with her mentor Helim Aranda-Espinoza on the behavior of axonal outgrowth at the University of Maryland A. James Clarke School of Engineering.
• Kavita Balkaran, a MBRS RISE Research Scholar, attended the Mount Desert Island Biological Lab REU program for a second year to continue research with her mentor Dr. Jane Disney on Species Diversity Study. Last year, Ms. Balkaran won the best poster presentation award for her research on eel grass at ABRCMS.
• Tiffany Bernier, a HBCU-UP Research Scholar, participated in the Interdisciplinary Summer Undergraduate Research Program for Genetics at the University of Iowa.
• Shareece Cannonier worked with Dr. Natasha Slesnick with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at The Ohio State University. Ms. Cannonier’s research focus was on families and adolescents with issues pertaining to effective intervention methods for runaway, homeless youth, and their families.
• Shellese Cannonier, a MARC Research Trainee, attended the Summer Biomedical Training Program (SBTP) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County . She also participated in a research internship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with Dr. Susan Wong. Ms. Cannonier was a MBRS RISE Research Scholar last year.
• Phyon Christopher attended the University of Iowa and worked on a biostatistics research project which looked at spatial correlation with Dr. Brian Smith.
• Adrianne Crooke conducted research at Boston University on Cardiac Development & Disease, Mouse Development, Gene Regulation (specifically mef2c gene) with her mentor Dr. Frank Naya.
• Nicole Fleming, a MBRS RISE Research Scholar, conduced research on dolphin skin cells (RXR/VDR) and their ligands at the University of South Carolina Medical School.
• Howard Forbes participated in the RISE Summer Research Program at Rutgers and researched Drug Delivery with his mentor Dr. Paul Takhistov. He is a MARC Research Trainee. Last year, Howard won best poster award in the in the physiological science at ABRCMS for his work on red mud in St. Croix.
• Kelvin Harry, a Computer Science major, participated in the Fungal Genomics & Computational Biology REU Program at the University of Georgia .
• Christa Harris attended the University of Montana’s summer research program.
• Leeanna Hyacinth a HBCU-UP & SEAGEP Scholar participated in The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at the University of Rochester.
• Idrees Tariq, a MBRS RISE Research Scholar, attended the University of Wisconsin Madison Summer Program.
• Blanche LeTang, a MBRS RISE Research Scholar, conducted research as part of the Carnegie Mellon Summer Program on Fluorescence Imaging of Microtubules of Varying Lengths and Sizes with her mentor Aabid Sharif.
• Sherikha Lewis, attended the University of Florida, Gainesville FL, SEAGEP Summer Program. Her mentor was Melanie Correll and she worked on root length of jampa and calima (beans) in different hydroponic system as well as comparing two root analysis programs.
• Latisha Ramsey, a MBRS RISE Research Scholar, researched learning, memory, and cognition in humans and other animals with mentor Professor Edward Wasserman at the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) at the University of Iowa.
• Gabriel Rivera conducted summer research at Blinks Research Fellowship program at The University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories . Ecophysiology of predatory intertidal snails with his mentor Dr. Emily Carrington. He is a MBRS RISE Scholar.
• Indira Turney, a Psychology major, attended the University of Iowa – Graduate College- SROP/McNair Coordinator.
• Cherissre Tyrell-Boateng, a MARC Research Trainee, conducted research with Alexander Johnson Ph.D. at the University of San Francisco.
• Ophelia Wadsworth, a MBRS RISE Research Scholar, worked with UVI Chemistry Professor Dr. Stan Latesky at the Radiochemical Processing Lab (RPL) in Washington State. The FaST program at the Pacific Northwest National Labs is a joint program between NSF and the Department of Energy (DOE).
• Liza Amber Weber, a Psychology major, was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to research “An Arts Intervention for Drug-Using Homeless Youth” with Dr. Adeline Nyamathi at the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Nursing. She is researching “Condom Use among Virgin Island Youth,” as part of her senior thesis project at UVI.

Acceptance into the Dual Degree Engineering Program:

2015

• Rafael Almonte - University of Florida
• Olani Beltou - University of South Florida
• Keturah Bethel - Columbia University
• Chris Buttaro - Columbia University
• Jamar Liburd - Columbia University, the University of Florida, and the University of South Florida
• Sharen Wallace - Columbia University

2009

• Javan Cooper moved on to Columbia University to study mechanical engineering as part of our 3-2 Dual Degree Engineering Program. Last summer, Javan participated in an exchange program in Mexico and the SEAGEP 2008 summer research program at Univ of Florida. This summer, Javan will be practicing his fluent Spanish in Mexico, exploring statistics at Univ of California at Berkeley, and conducting research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Javan would like earn a PhD in mechanical engineering. Javan was SEAGEP Scholar.
• Jeremiah Browne advanced to University of Florida's mechanical engineering degree program as part of our 3-2 Dual Degree Engineering Program. He would like to use his mechanical engineering knowledge to "build better building structures to withstand the weather". Last summer, Jeremiah participated in University of Florida's SEAGEP Program. This summer, Jeremiah will be conducting math research at the University of Northern Iowa. Next summer, Dexter would like to pursue an architecture internship. Jeremiah was also a SEAGEP Scholar.
• Dexter Hypolite advanced to Columbia University to study electrical engineering as part of our 3-2 Dual Degree Engineering Program. Dexter would like to use "green power engineering to turn a company green". This summer, Dexter is looking forward to "synthesizing solar cells using organic materials" at a Georgia Tech summer research program. Last summer, Dexter participated in University of Florida's SEAGEP Program.
• Denelle Baptiste and Precious Laurent were accepted to Columbia University.

2008

• Trinity Granger is now studying Environmental Engineering at University of Florida to continue the Applied Math/Engineering dual degree program. Tiffany was an EMET Scholar.
• Maria Arroyo is accepted to the Environmental Engineering Program at University of Florida.
• Everard Bellot was accepted by the Engineering School at Columbia University in New York to continue their Applied Math/Engineering dual degree program. He is an EMET Scholar.
• Artisha Hector has been accepted by the Engineering School at Columbia University in New York to continue their Applied Math/Engineering dual degree program Artisha is an EMET and HBCU-UP Scholar.
• Aimee Sanchez was accepted by the Engineering School at Columbia University in New York to continue their Applied Math/Engineering dual degree program. Aimee is an EMET and HBCU-UP Scholar.

Acceptance into the Early Medical School Program:

2009

• UVI sophomore biology major Delia Miller was accepted into the Boston University Early Medical School Program. For more information on the Boston University Medical School Program, please visit the Health Profession Career Advising page.

2008

• Mutahammis Kareem, Elisha Jno Baptiste, and Jaurel Harley were accepted into the Boston University Early Medical School Program. For more information on the Boston University Medical School Program, please visit the Health Profession Career Advising page. Mutahammis Kareem and Elisha Jno Baptiste are MBRS RISE Students

Alumni Hall of Fame: