UAMS Summer Symposium Gives Hendrix Students Opportunities to Share Research

CONWAY, Ark. (August 18, 2017) – Twenty-four Hendrix College students were among the undergraduates who gathered July 26 for the sixth annual Central Arkansas Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium, held at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Students presented research completed this summer, and the organizers awarded 10 “Excellence in Research” awards for poster presentations. Of these posters receiving top honors, half were presented by Hendrix students.  

The symposium was hosted by the Graduate School and Basic Science Departments at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, as well as the NIH–supported IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program and Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP).

For most of the attendees, several weeks of intensive learning culminated in presenting at the symposium. In addition to doing the research itself, Reed Spivey '18 spent the summer learning new skills to aid in accomplishing his research goals.

“I had to learn optics and mechanical engineering. In doing so, I learned how to use 3D CAD modeling software, how to operate a 3D printer, and how to effectively search for and parse through scientific documents,” Spivey said. “During my time as a researcher at Hendrix, I have learned that an important part of science is being able to effectively communicate your results to the scientific community. Frequent research presentations to my coworkers and mentors gave my peers and me the experience we needed to be successful at the UAMS undergraduate research symposium.”

“I had a great experience working in Dr. Duina’s lab this summer, and among other things I learned that lab work can be challenging, but can also be very rewarding when results are produced,” said Graham Harris ’18, who co-presented alongside Michaela Edwards ’19. The duo’s poster received one of the excellence awards. “The UAMS symposium was a great opportunity for us to share our research with other scientists in an academic setting.”

“I have never been prouder to be a Hendrix student than that day at the symposium,” said Thomas Owens ‘19. “Hendrix showed itself to be the leader in undergraduate scientific research in Arkansas. Working with the Gundersons this summer was an amazing opportunity to grow as a scientist and use my STEM education to research a biological mystery — DNA hairpin dynamics.”

Hendrix students attending the symposium included:

Eric Bussey ‘19

Mentor: Dr. Linda Larson-Prior, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Psychiatry

Poster Title: “Effects of Sleep on Neurocognitive Variables”

Jessica Campbell ’19 and Daniel Habenicht ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Andrea Duina, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Poster Title: “Evaluation of the contributions of DNA sequences and RNA polymerase II on the disassociation of the FACT complex from the 3' ends of genes following transcription”

Benjamin W. Curry ‘19 and Dylan Gilbreath ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Richard Murray, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Poster Title: “The role of the Neurogenin1 gene in the development of nociceptive neurons in the mouse dorsal root ganglion”

Shimin Alice Fan ’19 and Dylan Gilbreath ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Richard Murray, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Poster Title: “Investigation into the effect of Dlk-1 on the development of mouse Vomeronasal Organ”

Sarah Gilmour ‘19

Mentor: Dr. Andrew Schurko, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Poster Title: “Developing the Tools for CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in Bdelloid Rotifers”

Sarah Glass ‘19

Mentor: Dr. Karen Abbott, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Poster Title: “Testing Tn and STn Tumor Antigens for Use as Biomarkers in Human Ovarian Carcinoma”

Graham Harris ’18 and Michaela Edwards ‘19

Mentor: Dr. Andrea Duina, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Poster Title: “Biochemical and genetic approaches for uncovering mechanisms that regulate the dissociation of the histone chaperone FACT from the 3' ends of genes following transcription” (this poster was awarded an “Excellence in Research” award for this poster presentation)

William Hayes ‘20

Mentor: Dr. William Gunderson, Hendrix College, Department of Chemistry

Poster Title: “Open-Source Construction of a Stopped-Flow Absorption Spectrometer” (this poster was awarded an “Excellence in Research” award for this poster presentation)

Christa Huber ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Andrew Schurko, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Oral Presentation Title: “Interpreting the Message of DNA Repair in Bdelloid Rotifers Using Transcriptome Analysis”

Megan R. Hunter ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Andrew Schurko, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Poster Title: “Investigating the role of histones and post translations modifications in bdelloid rotifers”

Ian Jenkins ‘17

Mentor: Dr. Laura MacDonald, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Poster Title: “Evaluating the Role of Focal Adhesion Kinase in Papillary Thyroid Cancer”

Kaersti McLellan ‘19

Mentor: Dr. Andrew Schurko, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Poster Title: “Using Pulldown Assays to Characterize Meiotic Proteins in Bdelloid Rotifiers”

Moira Murdoch ‘19

Mentor: Dr. Antiño Allen, UAMS, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Division of Radiation Health

Poster Title: “qPCR Analysis of Hippocampal Oxidative Stress in Mice Treated with Cranial Radiation and Sulforaphane”

Robert Osborne ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Gunnar Boysen, UAMS College of Public Health

Poster Title: “Glutaminase and gamma-Glutamyl-Transferase Activities are Essential for viability of head and neck tumor cells”

Thomas Owens ‘19

Mentor: Dr. Julie Gunderson, Hendrix College, Department of Physics

Poster Title: “Quantitative Binding Analysis of Mn2+ to DNA Hairpin Loops”

Heather Prowse ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Andrea Duina, Hendrix College, Department of Biology

Meeting attendee

Emily Joy Seminara ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Howard Hendrickson, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Oral Presentation Title: “Extraction and Quantitation of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines from Cooked Bacon using Solid Phase Extraction and Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry”

Reed Spivey ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Julie Gunderson, Hendrix College Department of Physics

Poster Title: “Design and Construction of a Low-Cost Fluorescence Microscope” (this poster was awarded an “Excellence in Research” award for this poster presentation)

Emily Taylor Stone ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, University of Arkansas in Fayetteville

Poster Title: “Natural variation in acquired stress responses to oxidative stress in S. cerevisiae” (this poster was awarded an "Excellence in Research" award for this poster presentation)

Brock Sullivan ‘19

Mentor: Dr. Kidon Sung, National Center for Toxicological Research, Division of Microbiology

Poster Title: “Investigation of in-vitro antimicrobial activity and biofilm formation of antibiotic and silver-coated catheters against multidrug resistant bacteria”

Katherine Wang ‘18

Mentor: Dr. Julia Liu, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Poster Title: “Antibiotic treatment alters gut microbiome and restores mucus layer in inflammatory bowel disease” (this poster was awarded an “Excellence in Research” award for this poster presentation)

[Photo courtesy of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences]

About Hendrix College

A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.