FAMU BRIDGES Students Present at the 2024 National Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Three BRIDGES student trainees presented posters of their research findings at the 2024 National Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 13-16, 2024.
Kennedy Anderson, senior in Food Science, Brandon Gaines, senior in Biology/Premed, and Jamykal Jones, junior in Pharmaceutical Sciences, were elated to present their research findings
during the National ABRCMS meeting. The trainees’ research titles were: Kennedy Anderson - Digestibility Modulation of Noble Muscadine Grape Pomace Fortified Bread: A Potential
Strategy for Type-2 Diabetes Management.
Brandon Gaines - Comparative Effects of Polyisoprenylated Cysteinyl Amide Inhibitors and Anti-MAPK
and PI3K Drugs on Lung Cancer Cells. Jamykal Jones - The Neuroprotective Effects of Thymoquinone in Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Activated
Microglial BV-2 Cells.
"This year’s Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students (ABRCMS) was a transformative experience that fostered a sense of belonging, motivation, and confidence in our B2B learners to perform biomedical research. The interactions with a diverse group of senior scientists and peers in various activities and events, including seminars focusing on career development or cutting-edge findings in specific areas of biomedical research, including the incorporation of AI into their research, presenter mentoring sessions furnished by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), and access to the various exhibitors from prestigious institutions were invaluable. ABRCMS motivates and allows our FAMU B2B learners to see their future paths forward and pursue excellence in the biomedical sciences," noted Selina Darling-Reed, PhD, Associate Dean, Professor of Pharmacology | Pharmaceutical Sciences Division | FAMU CoPPS, IPH and Principal Investigator FAMU Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program.
The FAMU BRIDGES to the Baccalaureate (B2B) in the Biomedical Sciences Program is supported by the NIGMS/NIH Grant and embedded in the FAMU CoPPS, IPH. “Our students did a phenomenal job, especially considering it was their first time presenting. They were among more than 500 students competing at one of the largest conferences of its kind. We are incredibly proud of them!” exclaimed Sharon Arradondo, M.Ed., Director, Academic Programs, Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program who also traveled with the learners.
These three students are part of the first cohort of our T34 B2B program and began their undergraduate research career in the B2B during the eight-week Summer Research Experience (SRE) in 2022. They continue to gain research experience working in their assigned lab alongside their mentors and lab team during the academic semester and the eight-week B2B SRE. Drs. Nazarius Lamango, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Equar Taka, Research Associate, Pharmaceutical Sciences in the FAMU CoPPS, IPH are familiar with successfully mentoring B2B students and did not hesitate to accept Brandon Gaines and Jamykal Jones into their labs, respectively. We were fortunate to recruit Dr. Oluwatoyin Sangokunle, Assistant Professor, FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, to mentor Kennedy Anderson. We are eternally grateful to our faculty research mentors for their hard work and dedication to our students. They play an essential role in shaping the next generation of scientists.
For more information, contact:
Selina Darling-Reed, PhD, Principal Investigator, FAMU BRIDGES
selina.darling@famu.edu
850-412-5078
Sharon Arradondo, M.Ed., Director, FAMU BRIDGES
sharon.arradondo@famu.edu
850-561-2772
ABRCMS is one of the largest professional conferences for underrepresented minoritized students pursuing advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) training. 2023 ABRCMS attracted approximately 6,000 individuals, including 2,885 community colleges, undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students, 700 graduate students and postdoctoral scientists, 969 researchers, program directors and administrators, and 1,031 exhibitors. Students come from over 350 US colleges and universities.
Article and Photos by: Sharon Arradondo