MSU student researchers honored during biology symposium

First-place recipient Kellie Mitchell of Chelsea, Alabama, with symposium keynote speaker Jennifer Sasser of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Five ��ɫ��Ƶ students received awards for faculty-guided research conducted in the fall 2015 and spring 2016 semesters at the ninth annual Undergraduate Research Program Symposium this week.

Nearly 25 undergraduates showcased their successful research efforts. The symposium was sponsored by the university’s biological sciences department.

First-, second- and third-place winners each received Downer Undergraduate Research Awards that honor Professor Emeritus Donald N. Downer of Starkville, the longtime department head. All seniors, the honorees include:

FIRST—Kellie A. Mitchell, a biochemistry/pre-medicine major from Chelsea, Alabama, whose project, “Altered clock gene oscillations in cardiac fibroblasts from obesity and diabetic mice,” was completed under the guidance of assistant professors James A. Stewart Jr. of the biological sciences department and Yuhua Farnell of the biochemistry, molecular biology, entomology and plant pathology department.

Katie Hill of Southaven, second place, with Assistant Professor Justin Thornton of the MSU biological sciences department.

SECOND—Kaitlyn M. “Katie” Hill, a biochemistry major from Southaven, whose project, “Puma regulates survival of innate immune cells in response to Streptococcus pneumoniae,” was completed under the guidance of Assistant Professor Justin Thornton of the biological sciences department.

THIRD (tie)

—Daniel M. McClung, a biological engineering major from Brandon, whose project, “Characterization of the putative oxygen sensor DosP in Listeria monocytogenes,” was completed under the guidance of Associate Professor Janet Donaldson of the biological sciences department.

—Anna C. Jackson, a biological sciences major from Starkville, whose project, “Carrying on the Torch: Determining translocation effectiveness for the critically endangered Cyclura carinata,” was completed under the guidance of Associate Professor Mark Welch of the biological sciences department.

Third-place recipients Daniel McClung of Brandon, Anna Jackson of Starkville and Austin Walthall of Crestview, Florida. (Photos by Russ Houston)

—Austin C. Walthall, a microbiology major from Crestview, Florida, whose project, “A new species of Famella (Amoebozoa, Variosea, Gracilipodida) isolated from a freshwater pool in southern Mississippi, USA,” was completed under the guidance of Assistant Professor Matthew Brown of the biological sciences department.

Each winner received an engraved plaque and cash award. As the first-place recipient, Mitchell also was presented with an engraved MSU cowbell.

Jennifer Sasser, an assistant professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, served as keynote speaker for the symposium in Harned Hall. Her research interests include determining the factors that lead to kidney disease during hypertension and identifying new therapeutic targets.

Part of the College of Arts and Sciences, MSU’s biological sciences department offers bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences, microbiology and medical technology, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in biological sciences and a master’s in general biology distance program for science teachers. For more on the department, visit .

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .

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