LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
Grant: $7,690 - National Institutes of Health - Jul. 21, 2009
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Award Description: This program provides unique research experiences for undergraduates, and high school students. The program is designed to cultivate students’ interest in pursuing research careers in either the basic or clinical sciences. The students spend two months in the program during the summer, working in labs throughout the health sciences center. Participants consist of 20% minority students and at least 50% women participants. The program has a consistent record of success with a high percentage of the participants returning for graduate or medical school training. Our summer students will benefit from the infrastructure this program provides. My research focuses on key aspects of the molecular biology of Friedreich ataxia (FRDA). A primary goal is to understand how GAA•TTC repeat expansion impairs gene expression in FRDA. We have engineered a series of unique dual reporter vectors in human cell lines to dissect the mechanism, and to serve as high-throughput tests of candidate FRDA therapies. The student will take part in ongoing aspects of these projects, learning and employing molecular biological techniques during mechanistic studies of this neurodegenerative disease. The students will attend weekly seminars with the other summer students; the seminars are designed to give them an overview of the diversity of research conducted throughout the health sciences center. All the students in the program receive training in Responsible Conduct of Research. A special session is provided to teach the students how to write an abstract, how to prepare and present a poster at a scientific meeting. Our students will participate in the Summer Student Research Poster Day at the end of the summer to present their research. After the summer, our student interns will be included as authors when their research is published in a peer reviewed journal. All of the students are asked to complete questionnaires concerning their research experience as well as how this experience may have impacted their career decisions. We will track our two students and assist them in attaining their career goals in the future.
Project Description: The program is designed to cultivate students' interest in pursuing research careers in either the basic or clinical sciences. The students spend two months in the program during the summer working in labs thoughout the health sciences center. Ryan Gravolet learned laboratory techniques, including molecular cloning methods and tissue culture. He then helped to clone a modified reporter designed to further our understanding of the frataxin deficiency that causes Friedreich ataxia, the most common inherited ataxia. He presented a poster on this work at the end of the summer session entitled 'Optimizing Green Fluorescent Protein Fusion.'
Jobs Summary: Summer Research Intern - Interns work on research projects with their mentor while participating in the Program and performing the following: 1) an orientation providing lab safety along with research resources; 2) weekly seminar series designed to introduce the interns to the variety of cutting edge research programs in the New Orleans area; 3) training in Responsible Conduct of Research; 4) training on writing an abstract and putting together and presenting a poster summarizing his research work. (Total jobs reported: 1)
Project Status: More than 50% Completed
This award's data was last updated on Jul. 21, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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