UW Students Present, Win at National Biomedical Symposium

University of Wyoming students earned multiple honors while presenting their biomedical research at the recent 10th biennial National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE), a four-day national conference that showcases achievements of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) IDeA Program.

The NIGMS IDeA Program supports institutes that train biomedical scientists in the 24 IDeA-eligible states, including Wyoming. Close to 1,200 students attended the event in Rockville, Md., where they heard keynote speakers; participated in plenary panels; presented research either orally or during a poster session; attended professional development workshops; and networked with peers, researchers and administrators from across the United States and Puerto Rico.

UW’s INBRE and Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) programs support faculty, graduate and undergraduate students in biomedical research. Their missions center on conducting high-quality scientific research and building biomedical research capacity through support for UW and Wyoming community college faculty members; and mentoring to help students hone their skills for graduate school, professional schools or work in industry jobs after graduation.

“NISBRE is a chance for invited students to present their own research at a multidisciplinary conference and expand the experience into networking with others at all levels,” says Annie Bergman, the director of the Wyoming INBRE student research program, who mentors undergraduate and graduate students in biomedical research tracks. “This is the perfect atmosphere for those students with a growth mindset willing to engage in conversations about career paths and opportunities they have not yet considered.”

Maycie Schultz, a UW doctoral student in zoology and physiology from Sioux Falls, S.D., was selected to give an oral presentation on her research, “Transcriptomic Insights into Alzheimer’s Disease Progression: scRNAseq and Visium HD Spatial Mapping Reveal AD-Specific Molecular Drivers in A Mouse Model.” She received a Scientific Merit Award for her presentation.

Of the 369 posters displayed over three days, UW zoology and physiology undergraduate student Cutter Barrus, of Powell, received one of three Outstanding Poster Presentation Awards for his research poster, “Xenopus Tadpoles Display Distinct and Enduring Visual Preferences.” He also received an Undergraduate Travel Award, with selection of these awards based on abstracts submitted by the students.

“At NISBRE, I was able to meet many new people across a variety of scientific fields. I was also able to meet those within my own field and gain new ideas for my work,” says Barrus, who also visited a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research lab during the symposium. “As someone who got to visit the NIH lab, that was an incredible experience. I was able to see how a neuroscience lab from the NIH campus operates. This allows me to branch more ideas into what is possible in research.”

Priscilla Phan, a fourth-year doctoral student in molecular biology from Cheyenne, says NISBRE provided a unique and invaluable experience.

“Unlike molecular biology-focused events, it allowed me to explore new biomedical science and attend tailored career advancement talks. As I begin thinking about the end of my Ph.D., the conference reminded me of the diverse career paths available,” Phan says. “I networked with professionals who offered practical advice on transitioning from graduate school to the workforce and tips for getting hired. Ultimately, NISBRE was an essential experience for building the professional skills and networks I need to advance my career.”

Also attending was Danny Burns, a UW doctoral student from Wall, N.J.

“Attending the biennial NISBRE conference this year was a wonderful learning and networking experience. I was able to meet staff from the NIH and learn about many of the funding opportunities available to students and early career faculty, which was very useful,” he says. “It was great being able to meet students and faculty from network peer institutions and learn about their ongoing research and experiences and to discuss potential future collaborations. The NIH is very large, and its offerings are vast and complex; thanks to the many useful and informative sessions provided at the conference, I have a much better idea of what is relevant to me and where to go to find more information and to ask questions.”

The following Wyoming students had research abstracts accepted and presented posters at the symposium:

University of Wyoming

-- Maria Azmerin, a doctoral student from Bangladesh in the School of Pharmacy, “Generation and Preliminary Behavioral Characterization of 5xFAD-iRhom2-Deficient Mice in Alzheimer’s Disease.”

-- Cutter Barrus, a senior from Powell in the Pratt Lab in zoology and physiology, “Xenopus Tadpoles Display Distinct and Enduring Visual Preferences.”

-- Danny Burns, a fourth-year doctoral student from Wall, N.J., in the Robinson Lab in statistics, “Paging Dr. Chatbot: A Cross-sectional Comparison of Emotional Content of Text Responses to Patient Health Queries between Physicians & Artificial Intelligence Chatbots.”

-- Ethan Forbis, a senior from Riverton in the Schmitt Lab in kinesiology and health sciences, “Refining Circadian Biomarkers: Core Temperature Logging as an Alternative to Exercise-Derived Metrics.”

-- Gustavo Hernandez, a senior from Laramie in the Schmitt Lab in kinesiology and health sciences, “Tick Tock Exercise O’Clock.”

-- Bailey Isaak, a senior from Laramie in the Navratil Lab in zoology and physiology, “Female Peptidylarginine Deiminase 2 and 4 Double Knockout Mice have Abnormal Estrous Cycles and Reduced Fertility.”

-- Priscilla Phan, a fourth-year doctoral student from Cheyenne in the Levy Lab in molecular biology, “Investigating the Role of the LINC Complex in Nuclear Morphology Regulation Using Xenopus Laevis Egg Extracts.”

-- Maycie Schultz, a doctoral student in zoology and physiology from Sioux Falls, S.D., “Transcriptomic Insights into Alzheimer’s Disease Progression: scRNAseq and Visium HD Spatial Mapping Reveal AD-Specific Molecular Drivers in A Mouse Model.”

-- Abagail Straight, a senior from Casper in the Bowman Lab in molecular biology, “Mechanisms of PopZ-Mediated Client Recruitment.”

-- Isabelle Wasseen, a senior from Rock Springs in the Nair Lab in the School of Pharmacy, “iRhom2 Regulates Neuroinflammation-Driven Cognitive Dysfunction.”

-- William Weader, of Casper, in the Teulé-Finley Lab, “Citrullination and Aging in Female Mice: Investigating the Patterns of Peptidylarginine Deiminase 2 Production.”

Western Wyoming Community College

Sam Latimer, Breelyn Semon and Jazmin Jamal, from Rock Springs, in the Holmes Lab, “High Resolution Genetic Analysis of Connectivity in a Membraneless Compartment.”

Latimer will be a first-year graduate student in UW’s graduate program in molecular and cellular life sciences, and Jamal is accepted into the UW INBRE Transfer Fellow Program starting this fall.