{"id":140206,"date":"2018-08-02T08:13:23","date_gmt":"2018-08-02T12:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=140206"},"modified":"2018-08-02T10:27:53","modified_gmt":"2018-08-02T14:27:53","slug":"connecticut-student-researchers-shine-uconn-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2018\/08\/connecticut-student-researchers-shine-uconn-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecticut Student Researchers Shine at UConn Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local college students presented their summer research at UConn Health on Aug. 1 during \u2018Innovation Fellows Research Day,\u2019 an event that showcased a newly launched statewide consortium known as Partnership for Innovation and Education<\/a> (PIE).<\/p>\n

The event, held in UConn Health\u2019s Academic Rotunda, featured short talks and poster presentations describing innovative research projects by the inaugural class of 79 PIE summer program fellows.<\/p>\n

The students hail from seven institutions: UConn, Trinity College, University of St. Joseph, Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), University of Hartford, and Tunxis Community College.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/a>
Dr. Caroline Dealy kicks off the inaugural ‘Innovation Fellows Research Day’ of the new Partnership for Innovation and Education (PIE) program in the Academic Rotunda at UConn Health. (Lauren Woods\/UConn Health Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe have really smart people in Connecticut, many of whom are right here in this room,\u201d said Caroline Dealy of UConn Health, an associate professor in reconstructive sciences and biomedical engineering at UConn School of Dental Medicine and orthopaedic surgery and cell biology at UConn School of Medicine who is founder and director of the new PIE program. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know just how powerful this program could be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The long-term goals of the program are to help build Connecticut’s future health and technology workforce and to encourage bioscience commercialization in the state, she said.<\/p>\n

For their summer research projects, each college student was paired with a research mentor from one of the host institutions. The majority of mentors were UConn Health faculty members or biotech start-up company researchers in the Farmington-based UConn Technology Incubation Program (TIP). Additionally, students and faculty took part in weekly workshops, seminars, and other training in innovation and technology entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

The keynote speaker at the Aug. 1 event, Susan Froshauer of Yale University, told the students they are at the heart of Connecticut\u2019s future bioscience ecosystem. \u201cYou are so lucky,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can pursue any of the very exciting science and technology careers.\u201d Froshauer is entrepreneur-in-residence at the Yale Office of Cooperative Research and leader of its CURE Commons accelerator programs.<\/p>\n

\"PIE<\/a>
PIE Fellow Grace Nichols, a molecular and cell biology major at UConn, discusses her research poster. Her faculty mentor is Douglas Oliver, a professor of neuroscience at UConn Health. (Lauren Woods\/UConn Health Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mostafa Analoui, executive director of venture development at UConn, said the learning experience incorporating diverse students from seven universities was a very special opportunity. \u201cI cannot wait to see what happens next year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeven institutions coming together is a great success,\u201d agreed Ali Berman of Connecticut Innovations and program manager for its CTNext Higher Education<\/a>, which provided grant funding for the PIE program. \u201cWith more than 70 students, it really embodies what we are trying to accomplish across Connecticut.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several local legislators also attended the first Innovation Fellows Research Day at UConn Health, showing their support for the initiative and sharing their excitement about the students\u2019 research pursuits.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being here and seeing this kind of synergy is very exciting,\u201d said State Sen. Terry Gerratana (D)<\/a>, representing Farmington, Berlin, and New Britain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so impressed by the energy and the poster boards,\u201d said State Sen. Tony Hwang (R)<\/a>, who serves the towns of Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston, and Westport.<\/p>\n

State Rep. William A. Petit Jr.<\/a><\/strong> of Plainville and New Britain congratulated the students on their projects. \u201cYou are where Connecticut needs to head,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need more bioscience and biotech centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spotlight on 2018 Summer PIE Fellows <\/strong><\/p>\n

Erin Gibbons \u201918 (CLAS) <\/strong>of Southbury graduated this May from the University of Connecticut\u2019s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a degree in biology. As a PIE fellow she was paired with research mentor and UConn alum Ashley Kalinauskas of the UConn TIP company Torigen, a firm that is dedicated to helping pets live longer after developing cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe summer research opportunity has been amazing,\u201d said Gibbons. \u201cMy favorite part has been seeing how a small company, operates and being able to combine science and business. Also, my mentor Ashley is so supportive and inspiring.”<\/p>\n

Gibbons worked on developing and validating protocols to be used in the TIP company\u2019s upcoming study involving canines with cancer, and testing vaccine efficacy for future product development. She believes her summer PIE program experience will help her this fall as she begins her Ph.D. studies in immunology.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will be able to use the techniques and skills I have learned from Torigen and the TIP Program to succeed in my future endeavors,\u201d she said. \u201c[The PIE program] also helps the state of Connecticut, because it helps small companies to have more employees, and trains future innovators.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PIE<\/a>
PIE fellow Affrin Ahmed, a second year UConn graduate student, in the lab. (UConn Health Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Affrin Ahmed <\/strong>of Bloomfield is a\u00a0second-year international graduate student at UConn Storrs majoring in applied genomics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program challenged my abilities and enabled me to grow as a better student researcher,\u201d said Ahmed, who was paired with UConn Health faculty mentor Dr. Ji Yu. Her summer research project worked toward developing a technique to quantify the bindings of a protein-specific domain called SH2 to a class of activated (tyrosine phosphorylated \u2013 pY) protein in specific cell signaling pathways, known as RTK (receptor tyrosine kinase) signaling pathways. These abnormal RTK signals generate dysregulated SH2-pY bindings that are associated with various human cancers.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeveloping techniques to study these pathways is crucial to understanding the initiation of those cancers, which may further enable researchers to develop techniques for early cancer diagnosis and potential drugs for prevention,\u201d said Ahmed. \u201cThe outcome of this research will ultimately not only help societies within Connecticut but can be useful worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justin Pranulis<\/strong> of Bristol is pursuing a master\u2019s degree in neuroscience at the University of Hartford. This summer he conducted research with UConn Health faculty member Ahmed Zeeshan<\/a>, an assistant professor of genetics and genome sciences and assistant director of Bioinformatics: Medical Dean\u2019s Precision Medicine Program.<\/p>\n

Pranulis, who worked in a genomics\/computational bio lab, said the summer research program was very fulfilling. \u201cI was able to gain a lot of experience in a different kind of lab setting and learned a lot of new techniques and material,\u201d he said. \u201cNow I feel I have a better understanding of the ins and outs of the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pranulis presented his summer research project on Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), a growing concentration in the field of genomics that has improved the field in many ways, and the high-tech software his UConn Health mentor\u2019s laboratory uses and how it is applied.<\/p>\n

Faculty mentor Zeeshan said he anticipates the program will have a significant impact. \u201cPIE is an excellent educational program,” he said. “This experience will guide selected students to better direct their careers, which will ultimately help in the progress of the state and the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khushbu Patel <\/strong>of Wallingford is a sophomore at Southern Connecticut State University studying molecular biology. Her summer research project was also overseen by UConn Health faculty member Zeeshan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe summer research program was an excellent opportunity, which helped me gain multiple educational and inspirational experiences,\u201d said Patel. \u201cMy favorite part of the experience were the weekly seminars and the social gatherings with PIE Fellows and innovators. It was a great opportunity to build a network with people, and learn about different careers that play a significant role in research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patel\u2019s research innovation project focused on electronic healthcare data management systems and learning to how to analyze healthcare data to promote practice transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe research experience has educated me about different career possibilities in the field of medical research. It has inspired me to continue to explore opportunities in research and innovation,\u201d says Patel, who has decided to continue to work in her UConn Health mentor\u2019s lab after the PIE program.\u00a0\u201cThe experience helped me gain a completely different perspective about research.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paulina Szarejko <\/strong>is a biology major at Central Connecticut State University. This summer she worked on a commercialization project with mentor Dr. Sangamesh Kumbar, associate professor of orthopedic surgery and biomedical engineering at UConn Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned something new each day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"PIE<\/a>
PIE Fellow Paulina Szarejko of Central Connecticut State University discusses her summer research project poster with her UConn Health mentor Dr. Sangamesh Kumbar, associate professor of orthopedic surgery and biomedical engineering at UConn Health. (Lauren Woods\/UConn Health Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Szarejko researched how to synthesize a new polymer with varied physicochemical properties and documented the results. She worked on the structural characterization and mechanical strength of 3D hybrid skin models, as well as creating microspheres for the encapsulation of drugs for long-term drug delivery applications. The 3D hybrid skin models she\u2019s been working on may eventually be used by cosmetic companies to replace animal testing for the toxicity of cosmetics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis fellowship has provided me with knowledge and experience that I will use in the workforce,\u201d Szarejko said. \u201cFor anyone who doesn’t know exactly what they want to do in the biology field, this fellowship experience will help guide you toward your interests by pairing you with a team that will help you attain your goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mentor, Kumbar, said he is passionate about training future scientists in the laboratory setting. He believes\u00a0the program was of mutual benefit to both the student and his laboratory, and said the experience will make a huge difference in a student\u2019s future graduate school career and development in the workforce .<\/p>\n

Learn more about the PIE Program here<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You are ‘at the heart of the state\u2019s future bioscience ecosystem,’ keynote speaker Susan Froshauer told students participating in a new innovation program headed by UConn Health’s Caroline Dealy, during the Aug. 1 event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":140204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2459,2076,179,2458],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1873],"class_list":["post-140206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graduate-students","category-research","category-uconn-health","category-undergraduates"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-26 09:52:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140206"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140216,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140206\/revisions\/140216"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/140204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140206"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=140206"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=140206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}