High school students from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts who performed their capstone research projects in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department at UAMS won multiple awards at the West Central Regional Science Fair on February 23, 2024. Congratulations to all of these students and their teachers!
- Aarohi Sonputri won first place overall and first place in the Cellular and Molecular Biology category. Aarohi also won several special awards: the Regeneron Biomedical Science Award for outstanding project in translational medical science, microbiology or medical science, Regeneron Science Talent Search Recognition, and the Winthrop Rockefeller Cancer Center Award for an outstanding project in cancer research. Her project was “Small Molecule Stabilization of the CARD11 G-Quadruplex Represses Transcription: Developing a Therapeutic Target for Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.” Aarohi performed her research in Dr. Samantha Kendrick‘s laboratory.
- Carmella Lewis won second place in the Cellular and Molecular Biology category and the Society for In-vitro Biology award for outstanding 11th-grade life science project. Carmella’s project was “DNA Unwinding Temperature of a Helicase Critical for Efficacy of Cancer Therapy.” She performed her research in Dr. Alicia Byrd‘s laboratory.
- Gisselle Ellington won second place in the Medicine and Health Sciences category and Regeneron Science Talent Search Recognition. Giselle’s project was, “Investigating the Role of WRN Helicase in Aiding Translesion Synthesis Past G-Quadruplex Structures.” She performed her research in Dr. Robert Eoff‘s laboratory.
- Hannah Taylor won third place in the Cellular and Molecular Biology category. Her project was “Post-Translational Modification of HELB and its Effect on Unwinding DNA.” Hannah performed her research in Dr. Alicia Byrd‘s laboratory.
