LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 21, 2021) — A new immersive summer research program at the University of Kentucky is helping to prepare the next generation of biomedical researchers.
Throughout the summer, students in the (USTiCR) program get hands-on lab training and experience and one-on-one mentorship from a ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉú faculty member.
USTiCR, supported by ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉú’s , is open to undergraduate students who are interested in biomedical research.
Students selected for the program receive a stipend and are paired with a faculty mentor and work full-time in their laboratories, where they contribute to cardiovascular-focused research.
The faculty mentors participating in USTiCR come from eight colleges across ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉú, creating the opportunity for diverse projects in population-based, basic, translational, and clinical research.
Thirteen students were selected to participate in the program’s inaugural cohort:
- Isha Chauhan, University of Kentucky (Gregory Graf, PhD, mentor)
- Katelyn Collins, University of Kentucky (Frédérique Yiannikouris, PhD, mentor)
- David Graf, Mississippi State University (Jonathan Wenk, PhD, mentor)
- James Hao, University of Kentucky (Louis Hersh, PhD, mentor)
- Rachel Hutchison, Mississippi State University (Robert Helsley, PhD, mentor)
- Karolina Kopyonkina, University of Kentucky (Zhenheng Guo, PhD, mentor)
- Gloria Lwin, Centre College (Robin Shoemaker, PhD, mentor)
- Olivia Minor, University of Kentucky (Analia Loria, PhD, mentor)
- Linda Omali, University of Kentucky (Sidney Whiteheart, PhD, mentor)
- Diksha Satish, University of Kentucky (Lance Johnson, PhD, mentor)
- David Schneider, Centre College (Brian Delisle, PhD, mentor)
- Devin Thompson, University of Kentucky (Guarang Vaidya, PhD, mentor)
- Pengjun Wang, Washington University in St. Louis (Hong Lu, MD, PhD, mentor)
In addition to lab work, students also engage in weekly career development activities throughout the 10-week course that include educational and professional seminars along with social and networking activities.
Students will present their research findings in a poster session at the conclusion of the program in August. They also have the opportunity to present their work during ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉú’s Cardiovascular Research Day in October.