Elena Carrington is a molecular and cell biology major from Wolcott, CT. A graduate of Chase Collegiate School, Elena has spent eight years volunteering for Connecticut Mission of Mercy and has assisted dentists and dental students while volunteering for Special Olympics. Elena also loves ballet and spent time this summer in New York dancing at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet.
Christian Caceres is from Essex, CT, where he graduated from Valley Regional High School, though both his parents hail from Colombia. He is working on a dual BS/MS degree in nutritional sciences, and biochemical and molecular nutrition respectively. His career interests center on electrophysiology and cardiothoracic surgery, both of which he has learned about through time spent with doctors at the Jim Calhoun Cardiology Clinic at UConn Health. He has shadowed at Shoreline Medical Center for several years in the emergency department where he has seen lives saved and lives lost, which has only further impassioned him to pursue a career in medicine. He enjoys educating and mentoring others and will be serving as a tutor for SSS this year.
Renoj Varghese is from Orange, CT where he graduated from Amity Regional High School with the ability to play the oboe. To address his interest in bioinformatics, Renoj will pursue a dual degree in molecular and cell biology, and computer science and engineering. He has volunteered at both Milford Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital, where he shadowed a physician-scientist.
I’jaaz Muhammad has been intrigued by the health professions because of his sister’s genetic disability, his grandmother’s diabetes, and his mother’s back problems. He is also interested in reading, writing, theoretical and abstract mathematics, and martial arts. I’jaaz is from Bloomfield, CT where he was home schooled. He has played the violin for 13 years and enjoys trying to master as many skills as he can.
Malik Marseille hails from Bridgeport, CT. While at Central Magnet High School, he participated in BuildOn, volunteering at a local food pantry and helping to construct a community garden at an elementary school. Soon to be a biomedical engineering major at UConn, Malik has read all the Harry Potter books and seen all the movies.
Odia Kane is a graduate of the Engineering and Science University Magnet School, where she published a novel every year of her high school career except for her senior year. (Available at www.amazon.com.) The lack of a senior year publication may have been because she was spending that time producing a documentary on food injustice and insecurity in New Haven, CT, from which she hails. In producing this documentary she worked with psychologists, nutritionists, health experts, and food scientists. She gained experience in production her freshman year when she created videos on health and fitness for Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. Odia has also interned at the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center in the neurology department, and plans to major in cognitive science with a minor in neuroscience.
Anika Bennett is an allied health sciences major from Hartford, CT. A graduate of Connecticut IB Academy, Anika has spent time at UConn Health in a lab that focuses on the prevention of cardiovascular disease. She has also traveled to Jamaica.
In Vitro Evaluation of Calcium Peroxide Release from Composite Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) Microsphere Scaffolds
Fall 2013-Spring 2015
Investigators: Ornella Tempo, Keshia Ashe, Yusuf Khan Ph.D, Cato Laurencin Ph.D/M.D UConn Health Center, Farmington CT
Bone tissue engineering looks specifically at the intersection of cells, biomaterials, and bioactive factors for the restoration of normal bone function following instances of surgical, degenerative, or traumatic bone loss. The objective of this project was to investigate the potential of a materials-only based approach for guided bone regeneration. Specifically, the capabilities of composite poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLAGA) and calcium peroxide (CaO2) sintered microsphere scaffolds were investigated as an alternative to current bone repair strategies. During this project, composite sintered microspheres were fabricated, sintered into 3-dimensional (3D) matrices, and evaluated the in vitro release of CaO2. Continue reading
Neural Mechanisms for Behavioral Differences on Visual Integration in Schizophrenia
Fall 2014
By: Chi-Ming Chen, Psychology (chair), James Chrobak, Psychology, Emily Myers, Speech, Language and Hearing, and Fariya Naz
Cognitive functions like planning, reasoning, inhibiting as well as working memory are disrupted in schizophrenia. Cognitive impairments precede psychotic symptoms, and findings have consistently shown deficits in visual integration. Specifically, the visual integration disturbance in schizophrenia pertains to both an impaired basic visual processing system as well as reduced feedback from visual attention regions that should actually be amplifying relevant visual representations in contrast to irrelevant information. The goal of this project is to identify differences and establish a baseline in the neuronal oscillations for a visual integration task in individuals with schizophrenia and healthy participants using electroencephalograms (EEGs).
The Fabrication of Drug Encapsulated Microparticles for the Purpose of Drug Delivery for Pain Management
August 2014 – August 2015
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Institute of Regenerative Engineering, UConn Health
Osteoarthritis (OA) is caused by the breakdown of cartilage. The deterioration of cartilage directly exposes joints to bone surfaces causing excruciating pain, decreased range of motion, and other forms of disability to patients. To combat the pain, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and intra-articular injections are used to manage pain from 24 hours to 7 days. However, both NSAIDS and intra-articular injections clear out of the system rapidly and require repeated dosages (leading to infection and excessive drug concentration at target site).
The purpose of this project is to develop a biodegradable microparticle (MP) implants for long lasting delivery of the NSAID celecoxib (CLX) for effective pain management of OA. Five different co-polymers of PLLA and PCL such as PLLA, Poly (LA-co-CL)(95:05), Poly (LA-co-CL)(85:15), Poly (LA-co-CL)(80:20), and Poly (LA-co-CL)(70:30) were used to fabricate MPs and release profiles were evaluated in vitro. The microparticles were fabricated by an oil-in-water emulsification technique followed by a solvent evaporation process. The drug loading efficiencies were determined using an extraction technique. The microparticles were characterized using FT-IR and light microscope.