Nineteen University of Delaware students competed in the 19th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) on Oct. 22.

More than 300 students from 54 East Coast colleges and universities in 14 states competed in the event. 

As in past years, UD students did very well, receiving four first place and six second place awards across a total of 44 different groupings. 

Two students were repeat winners from previous years. Hannah Wastyk, a senior biochemistry major working with Catherine Leimkuhler Grimes, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, received a first-place award for the third year in a row. Her poster was titled “Critical Contact Region of HSP70 Stablizes Crohn’s Disease Variants of NOD2 in Vitro.”

Nicole Wenzell, a senior biochemistry major working with Neal J. Zondlo, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, received a first place award for the second time. Her project was titled “Understanding a Fundamental Force in Protein Folding: Tuning the nπ* Interaction in Designed Peptides.”

Other first place award winners this year and their research supervisors were Matthew Hurlock (Grimes), who presented, “Investigations of ATPase Activity in NOD2 and NOD2 Walker Mutants,” and Shelby Roseman (John T. Koh, professor of chemistry and biochemistry), who presented “AF4-AF9 Protein-Protein Interaction Inhibitor: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation.”

Second-place awardees included: Megan Cain (Danielle Dixson, assistant professor of marine science), Zachary Jones (Grimes), Priyha Mahesh (Melinda Duncan, professor of biological sciences), Shannon Marshall (Mary Boggs, research associate, Randall Duncan, professor, and Carlton Cooper, assistant professor, all biological sciences), Kyle Plusch (Deni Galileo, associate professor of biological sciences), and Alexander Stubbolo (Galileo).

Other student researchers who represented the University of Delaware included: Alex Matacchieri (Pat Gaffney, professor of marine science), John Nixon (Erica M. Selva, associate professor of biological sciences), Lucas Onisk (Tatyana Polenova, professor of chemistry and biochemistry), Jacob Piane (Mary Watson, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry), Joey Rea (Ryan Arsenault, assistant professor of animal and food sciences), Juan Ruiz (Rhonda Prisby, associate professor of kinesiology and applied physiology), Dominic Santoleri (Sharon Rozovsky, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry), Junius Thomas (Koh), and Michael Wilson (Duncan and Boggs).

The students were accompanied by four UD faculty members: Gary Laverty and Carlton Cooper, both from the Department of Biological Sciences, as well as Hal White and Jacqueline Lea Hilsenbeck-Fajardo, both from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

UD faculty served as judges of posters presented by students from other colleges. The faculty extends their gratitude to this dedicated cohort of undergraduate research scholars.

The UD Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Undergraduate Education program, which ended in August 2015, had sponsored trips to the UMBC symposium since 2007 and had supported undergraduate researchers in faculty laboratories since 1993.

According to White, former director of UD’s HHMI program, other sources of funding will need to be found to continue participation in activities like the symposium and undergraduate research. He noted that four of the UD undergraduate students presenting posters at UMBC this year did research in faculty laboratories as HHMI scholars.

“It is important that activities like this continue to be available for our students, and that other sources of funding be found,” White said.

For photos of the UD participants, click here.