The hallways of the Oxendine Science Building were bustling with excitement, as crowds of people gathered for the RISE Program's annual End-of-Summer Student Research Presentation. The presentation, which featured the work of more than 20 undergraduates (mostly biology and chemistry majors) who did summer research locally or out of state, was held on 25 August 2017. Among the people who dropped by to chat with the undergraduate researchers were Chancellor Robin Cummings (pictured above), Provost David Ward, Dr. Jeff Frederick (Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences), Dr. Velinda Woriax (Chair of the Biology Department), and Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny (Chair of the Chemistry Department).
The RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) Program funded several of the projects. The RISE Program is designed to prepare students for research in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, and to enhance the environment for scientific research at UNCP. It provides funding for student research and for related activities, including conference presentations.
Some projects were funded through other academic institutions and/or through funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation. Host institutions included Yale University, Miami University, the University of Maryland, and the University of California at Riverside.
Research topics included the ecology of native and invasive species, interactions of plants and ants, diversity of pollinators, Alzheimer's Disease, genomics of fruit flies, microscopy of viral proteins, bacterial ribosomes, verdet constants of olive oil, spectroelectrochemical analyses, and zooplankton distribution in bays.
The RISE program is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Students who are interested in joining the program should contact Dr. Rachel Smith (Program Director), Dr. Robert Poage (Co-Program Director), or Prof. Sailaja Vallabha (Co-Program Director). To learn about other research internships and out-of-classroom opportunities offered through the Biology Department click here or click on the "Student Resources" link on the left sidebar of the Biology website.
