STUDENTS
The AMP program is an academic resource that extends students' support network beyond the walls of the classroom and the lab. AMP participants strive for academic excellence, and have chosen AMP membership as a means of supplementing and enhancing their education. In this way, students can take advantage of the different programs and activities offered. Through AMP membership students also have to increased access to information and opportunities. One of the most attractive opportunities students can take advantage of is our the AMP Summer Research program, which undeniably serves to strengthen the skills and knowledge students acquire and develop in the classroom, while allowing participants to engage in their learning hands-on.
Take a moment to meet a few of our AMP students, of whom we are proud...
Hari Amin*
Year: Sophomore
Major: Biology/Pre-med, with a concentration in Neuroscience
Favorite Course (and why):
Honors Biology 1 and 2, because the students and teachers were
amazing and these two courses confirmed my ambitions to pursue
a career in medicine.
Summer Research Topic:
Recovery of Visual Function Following Optic Nerve Transection
(Lab Mentor: Dr. Gruberg)
About the Research :
Our research was concerned with studying how frogs perceive
stationary objects and where in the brain these objects are
processed. Frogs have keen visual abilities: they are able to
jump through overhead apertures in transparent lids; they are
able to navigate through an array of opaque barriers; they are
able to distinguish between prey stimuli and large looming
stimuli, and appropriately attack or evade such stimuli. There
is some evidence that these various visual functions are
localized and segregated in the brain. The question remains as
to where in the brain the information about stationary objects
is processed which was done by analyzing the recovery of
visual functions of frogs after optic nerve transection.
"The most valuable part of the Summer Research experience:
The most valuable part of the summer research experience was
building a relationship with my mentor and other
upper class students in my laboratory and working together
with them to tackle problems during research. Another valuable
part was learning how to read and analyze other research
studies from journals and other medical publications.
An Interesting Fact About Hari:
"I love playing sports and being active in the community. I
played varsity volleyball in high school, and I take part in
many community service organizations on and off campus. I am
also a Temple Medical Scholar."
*Hari was awarded the Best Undergraduate Student Poster awarded by the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society. Congratulations Hari!!!
Brandon C. Presley**
Year: Junior
Major: Chemistry
Favorite Course (and why): Analytic Chemistry
"I enjoyed this course because analytical chemistry is one of the most studied
subjects in the chemical industry today and it is a part of our everyday lives whether we are aware of it or not."
Favorite Professor (and why): Just kidding, we would never ask this question!
Summer Research Topic:
Simultaneous Determination of Enzymatic and Non-Enzymatic Metabolites of Arachidonic Acid by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography
About the Research:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. It can also cause inflammation of the tissue around the joints, as well as other organs in the body. An estimated 40 million Americans have some form of arthritis or other rheumatic condition. That number is expected to climb to 59.4 million, or 18.2 percent of the population, by the year 2020, according to a new report published as a collaborative effort between NIH, the Arthritis Foundation, and the American College of Rheumatology. This increase is largely due to the aging of the U.S. population.
There is a need to improve our understanding of this complex disease and elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the inflammatory cascade.
The primary focus of the study were the prostanoids that are the COX 2 metabolites of Arachidonic acid (AA) which are known to have both pro and anti inflammatory properties. We developed a validated HPLC method for the separation of several prostaglandins and their metabolites including: Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), 8-iso Prostaglandin F2α, 6-keto Prostaglandin F2α, Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), Thromboxane B2 and -deoxy-?12,14-PGJ2.
Our goal is to understand precisely the role of these prostaglandins in rheumatoid arthritis and other diseased states to help determine the methods needed to treat and reverse harmful inflammatory conditions affecting millions of American individuals.
"The most valuable part of the Summer Research experience":
"I was able to apply what I have been learning in the classroom for the past 3 years in a laboratory setting. It allowed me to get a foretaste of what I will be doing upon my graduation from Temple."
An Interesting Fact About Brandon: Brandon has been studying French since 2001, when he was in the 9th grade. Parlez-vous francais?
**Brandon was recently awarded Best Graduate Student Poster awarded by the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society. Congratulations, Brandon!!!