URSP Student Kaitlyn Scott Researches How to Optimize Physicochemical Properties of Patchy Particles for Cancer Therapeutics and Imaging

Hi, I am Kaitlyn Scott, a senior Bioengineering student. My research project aims to optimize the therapeutic and imaging performance of Polymeric Patchy Particles (PPPs) by assessing in
vitro their efficacy and toxicity, and to validate Computational Fluid Dynamic simulation (CFD) results. Use of PPPs can advance cancer theranostics by reducing the multidrug resistance phenomenon. From their photoacoustic signal physicians will benefit by being able to visualize and monitor the drug distribution in cancer cells and make decisions to continue, adjust, or change treatment based on the real-time image capability. Furthermore, CFD from this research project will provide information on particle synthesis and help control the self-assembly process to speed up the clinical development of PPPs.

I began working as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab of nanotechnology at George Mason after I became inspired by my Nanotechnology in Health Professor, Dr. Carolina Salvador-Morales.  I was intrigued by the kind of work done in her lab and how something smaller than the tip of a single strand of hair could be engineered to combat disease, such as cancer. I’ve learned a great deal under the mentorship of Dr. Salvador-Morales that will carry over into my future career. She encourages me to be creative when approaching problems at the molecular level and to look to nature to inspire us.

This project has shown me that the smallest thing can make the biggest impact. I’ve learned about the obstacles that a drug delivery system needs to overcome before clinical trials can begin. On a weekly basis I am doing bench work at the lab synthesizing polymeric nanoparticles for use in cancer theranostics. I also attend weekly meetings to keep up to date with other projects that are ongoing in the nanotechnology lab.

URSP Student Rownaq Abidalrahim Conducts Next-Generation Sequencing

I have always been interested in the sciences. Ever since I was a child, I have grown to love all things science. In high school, I graduated with a Biotechnology Diploma and an Advanced Studies Diploma. I was interested in Next-Generation Sequencing the Fall of 2016 at George Mason University. My professor, Dr. Reid Schwebach, was my Biology 213 professor. He was very knowledgeable and kind to his students. I decided to stop by his office one afternoon. I showed him a short Protein Structure video I made and posted on YouTube. He loved it. He told me to join him and his team of researchers for his Next-Generation Sequencing project via OSCAR. I was assigned to create 5 videos regarding NGS. I can see my OSCAR research helping me to reach my long-term goals. I wish to pursue a medical career. I want to stand out to medical schools, so doing more STEM research will help me immensely. On a weekly basis, I work hard. First, every Tuesday at 12:00 pm, I have a meeting with my mentors. We discuss what the next video is going to entail, and how I should design them. For the first video, I provided them a script, an audio, and some graphical assets in one meeting. They provide me their critiques, and I adjust accordingly.  Then, I go home, and use Adobe Suites. Here, I slowly create my videos with the magic of video editing. My audios are recorded in a soundproof room to ensure crisp sounds only. I add the audio to the video whilst I edit. One thing I discovered this term was how to crunch a large amount of information into a span of 4-5 minutes. These videos are educational, and each video packs lot of information. I have learned to summarize, explain, and illustrate information in a short amount of time. Creating my videos takes hours of work, but every minute is worth it.

URSP Student Roberto Vargas Conducts Research to Understand the Relationship between GMU Students and Current Food Culture

My name is Roberto Vargas, and I am a full-time student at George Mason University double-majoring in economics and environmental sustainability studies with a concentration in sustainable agriculture. I have spent my entire academic and professional career focusing on the advancement of
sustainability projects in the field of agriculture. My OSCAR research project is no different, it is focused on food, farming, and collegiate institutions. I have always been interested in how areas in urban areas can be  both simultaneously “food deserts” and yet also “food swamps”. I was fortunate to connect with Dr. Kerri LaCharite, who has years’ experience working in sustainable food movements. We both bonded over the idea about how to transform the college food experience.

I want to use my research as a catalyst to transform food on campus to benefit students. I want to use the skills learned from the experience and the incredible Dr. Kerri LaCharite. I also hope to continue working on research like this.

My research focuses on understanding the relationship between George Mason students and the current food culture. I developed a George Mason student survey, so that I could better understand overall student knowledge of sustainable food programs already happening on campus, e.g. GMU Organic Gardening Association and Pop-Up Pantry. I wanted to create a survey that was both informational for both myself and students on campus. I was surprised to learn that many students on campus were unsure of current programs but also felt helpless to make changes in the procurement of campus dining. Initially, I focused my attention on various successful programs on other college campuses. I then met with key stake-holders, including faculty and dining staff to better understand the areas that need improvement and how to continue to make institutional changes on campus. I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue to conduct research in this area and for George Mason University becoming more sustainable in their food policy practices and procurement for campus dining.

URSP Student Stephanie Bishop Conducts Research on the Impact of Job Skills Training Programs in Guatemala

My name is Stephanie Bishop and I am a Global Affairs and Spanish major graduating this May 2017. This semester I conducted a research project on the impact of job skills training programs in Guatemala. I have always had a passion for global development issues and throughout my college career have developed an even stronger passion for the Latin American region and culture that made me interested in conducting a research project of my own in these fields. Central America is a super complex and interesting region in terms of development and growth because there is so much potential and yet so many obstacles. Guatemala in particular is a country that severely lacks educational and employment opportunities and faces issues with discrimination, violence, and low economic diversity. These gaps obviously attract the work of NGOs and I wanted to see what kinds of impacts these organizations were creating. This type of research and analysis of development
strategies is what I would love to do in a future career. I also want to focus my career path on working with Latin American countries and have tried to pursue academic and professional experiences that complement that, which is why I am so grateful for the opportunity that URSP provided me.

My weekly work varied quite a bit during the course of the semester. During the first month and half or so, I was working on conducting background research on the issues affecting Guatemala’s workforce. I was also working on planning the week that I spent in Guatemala conducting field research, interviewing NGO employees, and talking with participants of job skills training programs. The trip itself took place at the end of February into early March. Then, after the trip, I compiled the data, observations, and information from my interviews to make an analysis of the programs and to write a report on my findings.

This research project has been one of my college experiences that I am most proud of and I reaffirmed my passion for global development. I learned an immeasurable amount about myself as a researcher, the complexity of implementing development projects, and how incredibly rewarding it is to conduct original research to add to your field’s body of knowledge.

URSP Student Rownaq Abidalrahim Creates Videos for the Next-Generation Sequencing Project

I have always been interested in the sciences. Ever since I was a child, I have grown to love all things science. In high school, I graduated with a Biotechnology Diploma and an Advanced Studies Diploma. I was interested in Next-Generation Sequencing the Fall of 2016 at George Mason University. My professor, Dr. Reid Schwebach, was my Biology 213 professor. He was very knowledgeable and kind to his students. I decided to stop by his office one afternoon. I showed him a short Protein Structure video I made and posted on YouTube. He loved it. He told me to join him and his team of researchers for his Next-Generation Sequencing project via OSCAR. I was assigned to create 5 videos regarding NGS. I can see my OSCAR research helping me to reach my long-term goals. I wish to pursue a medical career. I want to stand out to medical schools, so doing more STEM research will help me immensely. On a weekly basis, I work hard. First, every Tuesday at 12:00 pm, I have a meeting with my mentors. We discuss what the next video is going to entail, and how I should design them. For the first video, I provided them a script, an audio, and some graphical assets in one meeting. They provide me their critiques, and I adjust accordingly.  Then, I go home, and use Adobe Suites. Here, I slowly create my videos with the magic of video editing. My audios are recorded in a soundproof room to ensure crisp sounds only. I add the audio to the video whilst I edit. One thing I discovered this term was how to crunch a large amount of information into a span of 4-5 minutes. These videos are educational, and each video packs lot of information. I have learned to summarize, explain, and illustrate information in a short amount of time. Creating my videos takes hours of work, but every minute is worth it.

URSP Student Mariam Talib Studies the Characteristics of Rural and Diverse Undergrad Students Who Have Financial Need

My name is Mariam Talib, and I am currently a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience and concentration in Industrial and Organizational psychology. The project I am currently working on focuses on the characteristics of rural and diverse undergraduate students, who demonstrate financial need. The cohort I will be using will include students majoring in COS degrees (anatomy, chemistry, biology, mathematics, environmental science, geology, physics and other COS degrees). The aim of this research is to better understand the well-being and performance of these rural students by becoming familiar with their experiences as STEM majors.

As a student with an interest in becoming an industrial and organizational psychologist, it is necessary for me to focus on individual, group and organizational dynamics. I believe in the significance of developing methods that increase the satisfaction of students and their interaction with the program.  It will allow schools to focus on finding more effective ways to help students of various backgrounds to succeed not only academically, but also socially. This relates to my long term goals as it will enable me to gain experience in areas such as recruitment, training, development and performance measurement, which are all major components of my field of interest.

Throughout the semester, I have aided in finalizing the method of study and the development of the survey along with interview questions, which can be used to analyze the cohort. I receive guidance from my mentor on a weekly basis, in order to develop the study design as well as perform weekly literature reviews to further enhance my knowledge on the chosen topic. At the end of the week, the intended goal is to learn one more fact about my topic and to complete everything on the tasks list, which is provided by my mentor.

URSP Student Jessica Green Researches Cognitive Control and Heart Rate Variability as Predictors to Responses to Stress/Trauma

My name is Jessica Green. I am a double major in Psychology and Neuroscience.  For my OSCAR project, I will be focusing on cognitive control and heart rate variability (HRV) as possible predictors to responses to stress/trauma. My research deals with measuring HRV and cognitive control before and after watching a distressing film clip. The film clip serves to mimic a stressful experience. My interest in trauma began in high school when I noticed changes in my father’s health due to serving overseas. I have always known that I wanted to do study in the psychology field and when I got to George Mason, I first decided to major in Psychology and involve myself in innovative research related to trauma. I joined Dr. Renshaw’s lab as an undergraduate research assistant where I was encouraged to propose a research question of my own. For my long-term goal, I hope to be able to use the skills and experiences I gain from this OSCAR project as a way to distinguish myself when I start applying to medical schools next year. On a weekly basis, I read literature on the psychophysiological relationship between cognitive control and HRV. I communicated my proposal and revisions with the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and after receiving approval was able to run mock trials for data. In addition, I was trained on how to use an electrocardiogram (ECG). One thing I discovered thus far is that not everyone finds the same thing the same film clip to be distressing, suggesting that people can react differently to same stressful experience. The most difficult part was receiving approval from IRB.

URSP Student Michael Berghold Builds Hamiltonian Paths Across the Surface of Three-Dimmensional Objects

For my research, I am working with Professor Lien to build Hamiltonian paths across the surface of three-dimensional objects. These paths can be used to fold and unfold the surface of a three dimensional object into a more compact arrangement. This can be used to 3-D print an object in a small space and then refold it into its larger size.

My interest in this project began when I first transferred to George Mason, when I met Professor Lien as my academic advisor. During our first meeting we discussed different aspects of Computer Science, more specifically algorithms. I showed him a small project I had been working on by myself which happened to lead to the research I am doing now. I had been writing a solution to the traveling salesman problem, in which a salesman must find the most efficient route between several different customers. It was then that he introduced me to the idea of unfolding an objects surface and the applications that it may have. By considering the makeup of a three dimensional object as a collection of many points, you could find a path that touches each point in one continuous strip, much like the traveling salesman must find a path to all of its customers in one continuous route. The challenge of finding this path is very interesting to me and I have been studying it ever since.

This has been my best experience so far at George Mason. I have learned a great deal about using programming languages, collaborating with other people, and conquering challenging problems. Professor Lien has been a great mentor, giving me all the tools I need to succeed. This type of work is definitely something I would look to pursue as a career once I graduate from Mason.