Record Number of Undergraduates to Present at Upcoming Research Symposium

The Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences (BSNES) is hosting another record-breaking number of undergraduate science students from throughout the Greater Pittsburgh area who will present their research to peers, science faculty and local professionals at the 19th Annual Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Dr. Leon Perez

This year’s participation of 142 students is the highest ever, marking nearly a 15 percent increase from last year’s event. The symposium will be held on Friday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Bayer Learning Center and Mellon Hall of Science.

“The opportunity for students participating in this program to do real-world research and generate data that will add to the base of knowledge in their discipline is an unparalleled experiential learning tool,” said BSNES Dean Dr. Philip Reeder. “Learning by doing points these students toward future success in graduate school, medical and dental school and the work force.”

This year’s research topics run the scientific gamut, focusing on potential advances that have important applications to medicine, law enforcement, conservation and more. Among the topics to be presented are:

  • Natural Products Decrease Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation
  • Determination of Gunshot Residue Settling Velocity
  • Using Genomics to Study the Diversity of Red Foxes in Central Asia
  • Construction of a Model for Social Exercise Anxiety in Healthy Human Subjects
  • Evidence for Cross-Hemispheric Preconditioning in Experimental Parkinson’s Disease
  • STR Forensic Typing and Development of a Tetranucleotide Multiplex Assay for Snow Leopards.

Dr. Leon Perez, vice president of technology and business development at Reaxis Inc., will present Activation Energy and Pathways to Success, the symposium keynote address. Perez is also co-owner of Reaxis Inc., which designs specialty chemicals for catalysis, surface finishing, peroxide stabilization and several other automotive and industrial applications.

For the symposium schedule and more information, visit the symposium website.

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