When Michael Vaughan, vice provost for equity at the University of Delaware, introduced the program for the Graduate College’s sixth Spark! Symposium and its theme, “Connecting Our Research to Our Community,” he emphasized that research connected to community needs is a gift. He said once that gift is made, we must “fortify our minds and hearts to withstand the awesome firestorm of impact that the spark of our giving starts.” The six speakers who took the stage demonstrated their readiness to meet the challenges and responsibilities of making positive differences in our world.

Ignite Award

Rebecca Daniels, a biomechanics and movement science doctoral student, received the Ignite Award from the event’s four-judge panel. Her talk, “Measuring Parkinson’s Symptoms One Force Pulse at a Time,” highlighted the collaborative efforts between healthcare providers, patients and researchers in caring for people with Parkinson’s, a chronic and progressive neurological disorder caused by the damage or death of nerve cells in the brain. 

“The Parkinson’s community in Delaware is amazing,” she said. “The patients I work with really care not just about improving their own lives but also the lives of future people with Parkinson’s. They’re doing the exercise programs and participating in studies — they have such a wonderful, collaborative, empowering energy that's infectious to be around.”

Daniels is developing a tool to measure “force pulse,” a quick intentional burst of force produced by a muscle or group of muscles, to have a reliable, objective measure of the severity and progression of motor symptoms. She constructed the device used in her research for the surprisingly low cost of $200. Such a low-cost tool could help bridge gaps in healthcare access, improve patient outcomes and drive forward scientific research in Parkinson’s disease.

“I came to UD with an interest in aging, but Parkinson's was totally new to me,” Daniels said. “I think Parkinson's is here to stay in my life and my research career because these people are very special, and they experience challenges that are much harder than just normal aging.”

Glow Award

Alexis Ambroise, who holds a doctorate in human development and family sciences, received the audience-selected Glow Award. She also wants to help people meet life’s challenges. In her talk, titled “Social Support and Strain: What Matters More for Afro-Caribbean Teen Mental Health?,” Ambroise described her work to determine how social and cultural contexts can impact how people cope with mental health issues and access.

"My passion for understanding the social determinants of mental health stems from recognizing the significant influence social dynamics have on our well-being,” she explained. “By understanding these social dynamics, we can take proactive steps to improve our mental health and prevent issues from developing, not just for ourselves but also for those we care about. 

Ambroise is committed to eradicating mental health stigma. She continued, “Many symptoms I’ve observed in my personal and professional life could have been mitigated earlier if help was sought sooner and if more social supports were available. Mental health stigma is a major barrier to seeking help, and addressing it is crucial for overall mental wellness."

Research driven by impact

For two of the Spark! Symposium presenters, their research is an opportunity to benefit people living in Delaware directly. In her presentation, “Voice of Change: Reimagining Health for Delawareans,” postdoc in epidemiology, Alexandra Wynn shared Delaware State Health Assessment survey results and highlighted the health priorities identified for women of color in the First State during pregnancy. Her work is already impacting Delaware’s State Health Improvement Plan. 

"Simply put, it’s my community that drives me. I want everyone, especially those who look like me, to have the same opportunities as everyone else,” Wynn explained. “I believe research is only as valuable as its implementation. After gathering data, the next step is crucial: What do we do with this information?” 

Ophelia Christoph, a doctoral student in geological sciences, found a way to fulfill her lifelong calling through her research on the subsurface geology of the ocean floor. "One of my earliest memories is watching FernGully: The Last Rainforest — I watched it so many times and was convinced I needed to do something to save the planet,” she said. “An undergraduate class at UD on offshore wind captivated me and inspired me to pursue graduate research here.”

As Delaware advances its Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) mandate to obtain 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2035 and considers massive wind turbine projects off its shores, Christoph hopes her work will encourage project planners to integrate geologic data much earlier in the development process.

Sharing research innovations

Filipa Ribeiro, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering, described her work in her talk, “The Road to Women’s Health: Innovative 3D Models Advancing Women’s Reproductive Health Research.” She highlighted the lack of quick methods to screen drugs for the cervicovaginal region and demonstrated how she has used “organ-on-a-chip” technology to create a model that closely simulates this tissue. Her research represents a significant advancement in women’s reproductive health, offering a new tool and method to improve drug development and patient care.

"The goal is to democratize this tool, making it usable by non-experts to further research in this under-researched area,” she said. “Our aim is to ensure our impact extends beyond the lab and academia, fostering faster iterations and improvements in treatments for women’s health."

In her talk, “Game-Changing Vaccines: Strategy to Maximize their Immune Impact,” Jessica Rubira Gamba, a doctoral student in chemical and biomolecular engineering, presented her work on addressing the antimicrobial resistance crisis by introducing 'unnatural' amino acids into bacterial genomes.

“Sometimes you repeat the same experiment or technique many times — reminding yourself why you’re doing it helps you keep going every day,” she explained. “What we create in the lab is for everyone, not just us, so it’s crucial that people understand it. For example, there was a lot of controversy about COVID-19 vaccines, with misconceptions about them causing cancer or autism. This often stems from a lack of education on how vaccines work. I wanted to participate in the Spark! Symposium because, as a scientist and researcher, I feel it’s my responsibility to ensure that people can understand our work.”

Community engagement matters at UD

Lou Rossi, dean of the Graduate College, thanked the panel of judges for their feedback and expertise: Guarav Shah, global marketing manager at Iron Mountain; Elizabeth Schroeder, vice president of higher education engagement with JP Morgan; Albert Shields, director of economic development and government relations at UD; and Tracey Bryant, senior director of research communication at UD. 

In closing, he highlighted the importance of the Spark! Symposium theme to UD and its communities. “We’re proud of our R1 classification for very high research activity from the Carnegie Foundation,” he said. “Equally, we value the community engagement classification we hold from the foundation that recognizes our commitment to research partnerships that benefit the community.”

Learn more about the Spark! Symposium at https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/grad/research/spark-symposium.