SLU Sigma Xi Announces Symposium Award Winners

04/11/2023

SLU Chapter Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society held its annual research symposium on Monday, April 3.

The event returned to an in-person format and received over 75 abstracts from various disciplines. More than 20 volunteers from across campus served as judges for the posters.

The top award winners for each division will receive a cash prize.

Graduate Physical Sciences and Engineering

• First Place:  Cooperatively-Catalyzed Activation of Thioglycosides That Bypasses Intermediacy, Ashley Dent (presenter), Samira Escopy, and Alexei Demchenko, Ph.D. (advisor)
• Second Place:  Cell Growth on Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube/Zinc Oxide Nanowire Heterostructures, Emily Luc (presenter), Yoosuk Kim, Philomena Jombo, Marcus Lespasio, Bashar Aziz, Irma Kuljanishvili, Ph.D.; and Silviya Zustiak, Ph.D. (advisor)

Undergraduate Physical Sciences and Engineering

• First Place:  Synthesis of SAE-14 Analogs: Antagonists for G-Protein Coupled Receptor 183, Varin Gupta (presenter), Israel Olayide, Kathryn Braden, Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D.; and Christopher Arnatt, Ph.D. (advisor)
• Second Place: Identification of Aptamers for IL-17 and IL-20 for Psoriasis and Diabetic Wound Healing, Kristen Sully (presenter), Ali Parvez, Sheena Patel, and Dana Baum, Ph.D. (advisor)

Graduate Biological and Life Sciences

• First Place:  Improving Stem Cell Therapy with Biosponge Encapsulation and Hypoxic Culture, David Johnson (presenter), Ken Betram, and Koyal Garg, Ph.D. (advisor)
• Second Place:  The Effect of Monoferric Transferrins on Murine Maternal Iron Homeostasis, Faris Ali (presenter), Benjamin L. Shapleigh, Nisha A. Beorge, Nermi Parrow, and Robert Fleming (advisor)

Undergraduate Biological and Life Sciences

• First Place:  A Role of YDL206w in Regulating Intracellular Calcium Signaling in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Grace Lee (presenter), Fangli Weng, Juliana Cranley, Abhinav Rajasekhar, Matthew Stoeckel, Thomas Kane, and Yuqi Wang, Ph.D. (advisor)
• Second Place:  The Effect of Progranulin on Preserving Mitochondrial Health Through the Regulation of the Mitochondrial Fusion and Mitophagy, Vandana Mishra (presenter), Cass Dedert, and Fenglian Xu, Ph.D. (advisor)

Graduate Social and Behavioral Sciences

• First Place:  Racial Similitude in the Association between Cognitive Function and Older Adults’ Physical and Mental Health, Eboq Tawiah Nketsiah (presenter) and Marla Berg-Weger, Ph.D. (advisor)

Undergraduate Social and Behavioral Sciences

• First Place:  Prisoner Professional Identity: A Program Pilot Study in the Midwest, Aniketh Naidu (presenter), Dhairya Shah, Elizabeth Salley, Karen Hoshino, and Hisako Matsuo, Ph.D. (advisor)

New members to Sigma Xi were also recognized and participated in an induction ceremony. The Office of Vice President for Research, the School of Science and Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, The International Faculty and Staff Association, and the Institute for Drug and Biotherapeutic Innovation all helped support the event. 

About Sigma Xi

Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society is the world’s largest multidisciplinary honor society for scientists and engineers. Its mission is to enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition.

Sigma Xi chapters can be found at colleges and universities, government laboratories, and industry research centers around the world. More than 200 Nobel Prize winners have been members. Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society was founded in 1886, and it has over 500 chapters in the world. SLU Chapter was founded in 1944. If interested in becoming a member, contact sylivia.zustiak@slu.edu.