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KU announces student award winners from Kansas IDeA symposium
LAWRENCE — Eight students from the University of Kansas shared $950 in awards for research presentations at the Kansas IDeA (Institutional Development Awards) Network of Biomedical Research Excellence program symposium held in January in Manhattan.
During the seventh annual event, student researchers from the 10 campuses participating in the Kansas IDeA program delivered oral presentations and showcased posters of their scientific research. Sixteen students from KU’s Lawrence campus participated.
Oral presentation winners from the Lawrence campus were Stephen Sai Folmsbee, a senior from Topeka; Stephanie Ann Hill, a senior from Shawnee; Luke P. Mahoney, a spring 2008 graduate from Overland Park; Jenny Lynn Fulks, doctoral student in chemistry from Colon, Neb.; and Andria Lynne Skinner, doctoral student in pharmaceutical chemistry from Fayette, Mo. Poster presentation KU winners were Philip Robert Adam, a senior from Kansas City, Kan.; Kathryn Ann Leavitt, a junior from Andover; and Jamie Lyn Wenke, a senior from Topeka.
Judges looked for clarity, organization, scientific approach and significance.
The Kansas IDeA program is supported by a $25.6 million National Institutes of Health grant. Joan Hunt, vice chancellor for biomedical research infrastructure at the KU Medical Center and University Distinguished Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology, is principal investigator. Founded in 2001, the program aims to strengthen biomedical research in Kansas by supporting junior- and senior-level researchers and building community among 10 participating institutions.
James A. Orr, professor of molecular biosciences, is the Lawrence campus coordinator for the program.
The participating network partners are Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Haskell Indian Nations University, Kansas State University, KU’s Lawrence campus, KU Medical Center, Pittsburg State University, Washburn University, Wichita State University and Langston (Okla.) University. More information about the program is online at www.kumc.edu/kinbre/.
Lawrence campus students who participated in the symposium are listed below by hometown, level in school, major, parents’ names, high schools (when available), presentation category, research project and faculty mentor.
BUTLER COUNTY
From Andover 67002
Kathryn Ann Leavitt, junior in microbiology, daughter of John and Connie Leavitt; Carlisle (Pa.) High School. She won a $100 award for her poster presentation “Male Violent Criminal Behavior: The Role of Low-Activity Monoamine Oxidase A Alleles,” directed by Dean Stetler, associate professor of molecular biosciences.
DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66044
Xiaochen Wang, doctoral student in molecular, cellular and developmental biology and biochemistry and biophysics, has a bachelor’s degree from Nankai University in China. He presented a poster on “Characterization of sec61a during embryogenesis,” directed by Robert Ward, assistant professor of molecular biosciences.
JOHNSON COUNTY
From Olathe 66061
Ben Kurth, senior in biology, son of Paul and Luanne Kurth; Olathe Northwest High School. He presented a poster for his project “Dopamine release and uptake impairments measured in transgenic mice that model Huntington’s disease,” directed by Michael Johnson, assistant professor of chemistry.
Patrick Channing Selley, senior in biology, son of Linda Carpenter; Olathe High School North. He presented a poster on his project “Measurements of neurochemistry and behavior of transgenic Huntington’s disease model rats using microdialysis and force-plate actometry,” directed by Michael Johnson, assistant professor of chemistry.
From Overland Park 66204
Luke P. Mahoney, spring 2008 graduate, son of Richard and Jeanne Mahoney; Shawnee Mission West High School. He received $100 honorable mention in oral presentations for his project “Classical Eyeblink Conditioning Facilitates Subsequent Pavlovial Fear Conditioning in Rats,” directed by Derick Lindquist, research associate in molecular biosciences.
From Overland Park 66221
Nan Wang, senior in biochemistry and microbiology, daughter of Li Peng and Dacheng Wang; Blue Valley Northwest High School. She presented a poster on “NMR studies of protein-protein interactions involved in the assembly of bacterial needles,” directed by Roberto De Guzman, assistant professor of molecular biosciences.
From Prairie Village 66207
Brandon Harry Hidaka, senior in biochemistry and psychology, son of Paul and Roxanne Hidaka; Shawnee Mission East High School. He presented a poster on “We Were Never Designed for This: The Increasing Prevalence of Depression,” directed by Stephen Ilardi, associate professor of psychology.
From Shawnee 66217
Stephanie Ann Hill, senior in biochemistry and chemistry, daughter of Douglas and Mary Hill; Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. She participated in poster and oral presentations and received $250 for second place in oral presentations for her project “Synthesis and Evaluation of Hsp90 Inhibitors That Contain the 1,4-naphthoquinone Scaffold,” directed by Brian Blagg, associate professor of medicinal chemistry.
SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Topeka 66614
Stephen Sai Folmsbee, senior in biochemistry and biology, son of Nobuko and Mark Folmsbee; Topeka High School. He participated in poster and oral presentations and received $100 for an honorable mention in oral presentations for his project “Cell Cycle Effects of Etoposide on Topoisomerase-II and SUMO,” directed by Yoshiaki Azuma, assistant professor of molecular biosciences.
From Topeka 66605 and 66610
Jamie Lyn Wenke, senior in chemistry, daughter of Corwyn Wenke (66605) and Sonya Purling (66610); Washburn Rural High School. She won a $100 award for her poster presentation “Improving the Stability of Recombinant Growth Hormone with Engineered Glycosylation and Glycosidase Trimming of Glycans,” directed by Heather Desaire, associate professor of chemistry.
WYANDOTTE COUNTY
From Kansas City 66109
Philip Robert Adam, senior in microbiology, son of Robert and Renee Adam; Piper High School. He received a $100 award for his poster presentation “Interaction of Deoxycholate with IpaD, the Type III Secretion Apparatus Needle Tip Protein of Shigella Flexneri,” directed by William Picking, professor of molecular biosciences.
CALIFORNIA
From Orangevale 95662
Andrea N. Ortiz, doctoral student in chemistry; bachelor’s degree from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. She presented a poster for her project, “Mobilization of reserve pool dopamine in r6/2 mice,” directed by Michael Johnson, assistant professor of chemistry.
IOWA
From Cedar Rapids 52402
Aaron Matthew Smalter, doctoral student in computer science, son of Martin Smalter; master’s degree from KU, fall 2008; bachelor’s degree from KU, summer 2006; inn-Mar High School in Marion. He presented a poster on “Novel chemical informatics methods for the KU CMLD,” directed by Luke Huan, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science.
MISSOURI
From Fayette 65248
Andria Lynne Skinner, doctoral student in pharmaceutical chemistry, master’s degree from KU, fall 2008; bachelor’s degree from Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo.; Truman High School in Independence, Mo. She participated in poster and oral presentations and won a $100 honorable mention for her oral presentation “Determining the active site reduction potential in phosphatase of regenerating liver-1 (prl-1), a phosphatase implicated in metastatic cancer, by high-resolution nmr spectroscopy,” directed by Jennifer Laurence, assistant professor of pharmaceutical chemistry.
NEBRASKA
From Colon 68018
Jenny Lynn Fulks, doctoral student in chemistry; bachelor’s degree from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. She won a $100 honorable mention for her oral presentation “The role of dopamine release in fragile x syndrome behaviors,” directed by Michael Johnson, assistant professor of chemistry.
CHINA
From Pengzhou
Liang Zhang, doctoral student in molecular, cellular and developmental biology. She presented a poster for her project “Characterization of uninflatable, a gene required for tracheal inflation,” directed by Robert Ward, assistant professor of molecular biosciences.
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