INDIANAPOLIS – Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Simon J. Atkinson conferred upon Jared Thomas the inaugural Richard E. Ward Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Recognition Award. A Bridges to the Baccalaureate and IUPUI Diversity Scholars Research Program (DSRP) scholar, Jared is a biotechnology major and an aspiring bioethicist.
An all-star student, Thomas won poster presentation awards at the 2015 Indiana University Undergraduate Research Conference (IUURC) and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in 2014. Thomas investigates Down syndrome in Randall J. Roper’s laboratory in the Department of Biology.
“Without Dr. Roper I don’t think I would have been this successful,” Jared said. “With his help I’ve done a lot of stuff that I’ve always wanted to do.”
Sophomore biology major Olivia Howald, was one of two Bowling-Jones-Russo Memorial Undergraduate Research Award recipients this year. During her first year at IUPUI Howald matched with Biology faculty member Lata Balakrishnan, Ph.D., through the Freshman Work Program. Howald continues to conduct scientific research in Balakrishnan’s lab, also collaborating with John J. Turchi, a Professor of Medicine and Tom and Julie Wood Family Foundation Professor of Lung Cancer Research.
Olivia is also involved in the research she began during her 2015 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Summer Fellows project, studying the acetylation of DNA polymerase beta enzyme, which is involved in base excision repair. She loves science and is exploring her options for graduate school.
Retired Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and Founding Executive Director of CRL Kathryn J. Wilson presented certificates to the inaugural cohort of RISE to the IUPUI Challenge Undergraduate Research Scholarship Awardees which included two Science students, Evan John Rouse and Melanie Scheive.