Albany State University (ASU) students will experience high-impact research opportunities this summer at educational institutions nationwide.

Seven Velma Fudge Grant Honors Program students from various majors will participate in research programs and internships at New York University, Columbia University, University of California, Irvine, Indiana University, Bloomington, University of Iowa and the Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI).

The experiences will provide ASU undergraduate students with hands-on research training in the science, health and law fields. Each participant will work with a faculty mentor or program coordinator on a project in their respective fields. Florence Lyons, director of the ASU Honors Program, initiated a number of the partnerships between ASU and the universities in an effort to increase the number of research opportunities for Albany State students. She also reviewed and edited many of the students’ applications and essays.   

ASU honors program students will participate in the following research opportunities:

DeStandreana Norwood: STEM Summer Scholars Institute at Indiana University, Bloomington, May 31 – July 26

Norwood is a sophomore biology major and will participate in the STEM Summer Scholars Institute at Indiana University, Bloomington. The STEM Summer Scholars Institute is the result of the IU-MSI STEM Initiative, an academic and research partnership between Indiana University and multiple Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) that promotes and develops the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The mission of the IU-MSI STEM Initiative is to increase the number of underrepresented minority graduate students, scholars and professionals in the STEM disciplines; increase faculty research and faculty collaborations; and expand research funding opportunities. Travel expenses are covered and a monetary stipend is provided. Lyons and Louise Wrensford, executive director of the ASU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs worked to include ASU in the partnership. 

During the fall 2018 semester, Norwood was one of the few undergraduates selected to present research at the Georgia Communication Association Conference. Her research entitled, “Communication Dilemmas Faced by the Caregivers of Terminal Cancer Patients,” was recently published in the Georgia Communication Association Proceedings Journal. She is currently conducting research entitled, “Visualization of Myocardial Structural Markers by Means of Scanning Electrons Microscopy.” 

Danielle Prier: Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) at New York University, June 2 - August 3

Danielle is a sophomore biology major and will participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program at NYU. SURP is sponsored by the NYU School of Medicine and the Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. The program offers undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing an MD, MD/PhD or PhD the opportunity to conduct biomedical research. Prier will conduct research at the NYU School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health. At the end of the summer, participants will present their research at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium and present a poster presentation to the NYU Langone research community. Danielle will reside on the NYU campus. Travel expenses are covered and a monetary stipend is provided.

Danielle’s research experience is impressive. Her research entitled, “Improving Communication Skills in STEM Students,” was recently published in the Georgia Communication Association Proceedings Journal. During the spring semester, she conducted research entitled, “Visualization of Myocardial Structural Markers by Means of Scanning Electrons Microscopy.”

TyJa Barnes-Jones: Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) at the University of Iowa, June 9 - July 20

Barnes-Jones is a freshman biology major and will participate in the Summer Health Professions Education Program at the University of Iowa. The program is for rising sophomore and rising junior premedical college students. SHPEP offers undergraduate students interested in the health professions the opportunity to shadow physicians at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinic, take science classes, attend health policy seminars and become acquainted with the admission policy at the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. Travel expenses are covered and a monetary stipend is provided.

During the spring semester, Barnes-Jones conducted research under the supervision of Olabisi Ojo, ASU professor of biology and presented her research entitled, “Cardiovascular Disease: The Top Death Causing Disease in India” at the ASU Center for Undergraduate Research Colloquium.

Tationna Almond: Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) at Columbia University, June 14 - July 26

Almond is a freshmen biology major and will participate in Summer Health Professions Education Program at Columbia University. SHPEP at Columbia is a six-week summer residential experience for rising sophomore and rising junior college students. Students on the physical therapy pathway will have hands-on experiences in a lab and clinic and will shadow practitioners across a range of practice areas to include behavior health, physical disabilities and cognitive rehabilitation. The program offers undergraduate students interested in the health professions the opportunity to engage in intense coursework, labs, learning-skills and career development courses. Almond will reside on the Columbia University Medical Center campus. Travel expenses are covered and a monetary stipend is provided.

Almond’s current ASU research concerns the rate of catalase activity in yeast when enzyme suspension is significantly increased.

Chiagoziem “Sylvester” Agu and Nykerria Leonard: Pathways to Biophotonics and Biomedical Engineering (PBBE) Summer Program at the University of California, Irvine, June 23 - August 16

Agu, a junior biology major, and Leonard, a freshman biology major, will participate in the Pathways to Biophotonics and Biomedical Engineering Summer Program at the University of California, Irvine. The PBBE is an eight-week summer residential research program. Participants will have the opportunity to utilize resources at the Beckman Laser and Medical Clinic (BLI), one of the premier centers for biophotonics in the world, and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering (HSSOE).  The training program is designed to introduce high-achieving HBCU applicants to the breadth of University of California graduate programs in the fields of biomedical engineering, biophotonics and related STEM disciplines. Travel expenses are covered and a monetary stipend is provided.

Jasmine Prier: Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) in Huntsville, Alabama, June 23 - July 6

Jasmine Prier, sister to Danielle Prier, is an incoming ASU freshman and will participate in the Google Computer Science Summer Institute. CSSI-HBCU is a three-week residential program based in Raleigh, North Carolina or Huntsville, Alabama where they’ll be taught an introduction to computer science by Google engineers. Through an engaging and hands-on curriculum, students develop a solid foundation of computational thinking, which prepares them for their future studies in computer science. The program finishes with a capstone project where students develop an application.