Simeon Thibeaux, who is investigating the links between an enzyme and fatty liver diseases, was runner-up in his division鈥檚 competition at the University of South Florida.

The biomedical students鈥� cutting-edge research spanned from looking at ways to reduce bad cholesterol to curbing the spread of Lyme disease. The winners earned high praise from 80 faculty judges who reviewed more than 200 projects during the 麻豆原创 competition.

Here鈥檚 a snapshot of their work and how they placed at the 麻豆原创 competition.

Simeon Thibeaux, Biotechnology
First Place Master鈥檚, Life Sciences at 麻豆原创 competition and Second Place at State level
Cathepsin B Regulates VLDL Secretion Through LFABP Cleavage
Mentor: Shadab Siddiqui, associate professor in the College of Medicine
Coauthors: Shaila Siddiqi, Olga Zhelyabovska, Faisal Moinuddin, Michal Masternak and Shadab Siddiqi

Simeon Thibeaux has spent the past two years researching an enzyme in the liver that contributes to fatty liver disease. His research found that the enzyme cathepsin B controls bad cholesterol secretion by the liver, thus reducing risk of the disease. Fatty liver disease can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer.

鈥淗epatocellular carcinoma is very difficult to treat, and in most cases can only be corrected with a liver transplant,鈥� Thibeaux said, noting that patients have a less than a 5 percent survival rate after five years of diagnosis. 鈥淪o my goal is to identify potential mechanisms that you can target and treat before you get to the point where it鈥檚 no longer clinically treatable.鈥�

Thibeaux said he has spent countless hours working on this research.

鈥淏eyond everything that you see on my poster, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make sure you are doing everything right,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 nice to know that all the late nights and early mornings pay off.鈥�

鈥淪imeon is without a question one of the brightest young scientists I have ever encountered who has always exceeded my expectations,鈥� mentor Shadab Siddiqi said. 鈥淚 am not at all surprised by his win.鈥�

Thibeaux is heading to medical school after graduating this spring.

Philip Adams, Biomedical Sciences
First Place Doctoral, Health Sciences at 麻豆原创
Borrelia Burgdorferi Gene bb0562 Encodes a Membrane-Associated Protein Critical for Lyme Disease Pathogenesis
Mentor: Mollie Jewett, associate professor in the College of Medicine
Coauthors: Carlos Flores Avile and Mollie Jewett

Adams has spent the past five years working with Jewett researching Lyme disease 鈥� a tick-borne illness afflicting more than 300,000 people a year.

From his research, Adams has identified a new gene (bb0562) in borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that allows the tick to spread the infection.

鈥淲e found that when we remove this gene from the bacteria, the bacteria are no longer able to infect the animals, which shows this gene is really important for causing Lyme disease,鈥� Adams said. 鈥淟earning more about the basic biology of the organism can help us find new therapeutics and diagnostic tools.鈥�

His research on the survival mechanism for Lyme disease has been published in Nucleic Acids Research, an international peer-reviewed journal published by Oxford University Press. In 2014, he was also invited to train in RNA biochemistry techniques at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories in Vienna.

鈥淧hilip has matured over the past five years in incredible ways,鈥� Jewett said. 鈥淗e has been very successful and has become an expert in molecular biology, gene regulation, pathogenesis. I am very proud of him, and winning this award is the perfect culmination to the end of his career as a graduate student here.鈥�

After graduating from 麻豆原创 this summer, Adams will complete a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.

Carolina Rodrigues Felix, Biomedical Sciences
First Place Doctoral, Life Sciences at 麻豆原创
High-Throughput Screening of Marine-Derived Compounds Yields Potent Inhibitors of Dormant Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
Mentor: Kyle Rohde, assistant professor in the College of Medicine
Coauthors: Rashmi Gupta, Sandra Geden, Amy Wright of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, and Kyle Rohde

According to the Centers for Disease Control, tuberculosis caused 1.8 million deaths worldwide in 2015. Rodrigues Felix is trying to reduce deaths by finding a new drug to treat this disease that affects one-third of the world鈥檚 population. Her research investigates whether marine-derived compounds in sponges can kill dormant or tolerant bacteria,that cause tuberculosis.

鈥淭he bacteria that causes tuberculosis are very difficult to kill because they can sometimes become tolerant to the drugs that are currently available,鈥� Rodrigues Felix said. 鈥淭he treatment we have now takes about six months with four antibiotics administered. So our goal is to find new molecules that can more effectively kill the bacteria and shorten the treatment time.鈥�

This is Rodrigues Felix鈥檚 second win at the Graduate Research Forum, having received the top prize in 2015 for her research on TB.

鈥淐arolina is setting a strong foundation for discovering new TB drugs and for others to be able to learn what we have learned,鈥� said Rohde. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always a proud moment to see a student get recognized for their hard work and achievements and it was well deserved.鈥�

Anika Saxena, Biotechnology First Place Master鈥檚, Life Sciences
PG-VTV Biogenesis Requires ATP to Facilitate Phosphorylation of Syntaxin 17
Mentor: Shadab Siddiqi, associate professor in the College of Medicine
Coauthors: Bhavesh Gurwani, Shaila Siddiqi and Shadab Siddiqi

Saxena鈥檚 research identified a distinct protein that regulates the secretion of VLDL (bad cholesterol), which in high levels can cause heart disease.

鈥淎therosclerosis is the biggest cause of death in the U.S. among all cardiovascular diseases,鈥� Saxena said, 鈥渟o it鈥檚 important to study ways to control VLDL secretion to reduce the instances of heart disease.鈥�

Saxena said the win was unexpected. 鈥淭here were so many good participants, so I was really surprised. This was really good news for me, the lab and especially my parents in India who are so proud to see me doing so well.鈥�

Siddiqi said Saxena鈥檚 passion come through in her dedication.

鈥淎nika ranks among my very best students who has proved herself a sterling young scientist,鈥� Siddiqi said.聽鈥淚 have also found her to be perseverant and enthusiastic in research activities.鈥�

Two other 麻豆原创 students from other colleges also placed at the statewide competition:

Amin Eftekhar from CREOL won first place in the natural and physical sciences division.

Sana Siddiqui earned second place in the Engineering division.

For more information on those students, .

The senior said he did it because he wanted to gain skills that he hopes will make him a better candidate for graduate school. He got so much out of the experience, that this year he鈥檚 participating again. But this time it means much more to him.

He said the showcase will give him the opportunity to show his family how far he鈥檚 come in his academic career and to demonstrate to his younger siblings what it takes to succeed.

鈥淚 am the first generation of my family to go to college in the United States,鈥� Colas said. 鈥淢y mother is my compass. She speaks to me often about the importance of inspiring my siblings as their older brother. My father, at one time, was a professor and a school principal. I hope someday to go back to Haiti and make a difference in people鈥檚 lives, as he did. He has inspired me to push myself and to persevere in pursuing my dreams.鈥�

This year’s Student Research Week is聽April 4-7 and will provide professional development workshops and forums for undergraduate and students.聽Colas will be one of about 450 students at the SURE presentations that begin at 1 p.m.聽April 7 in the Pegasus Ballroom in the Student Union. The event is free and open to the public.

鈥淧resenting at the showcase gives students an important opportunity to communicate their research, both to attendees in their field of work and to the general public,鈥� said Aubrey Kuperman, coordinator of the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Colas is an undergraduate research assistant in the College of Optics & Photonics鈥櫬燜iber Optics Lab, where he studies the applications of light coursing through glass strands the thickness of a human hair.

Preparing for the showcase gave Colas the opportunity to spend time working with his mentors聽— professor Axel Sch眉lzgen and doctoral candidate Amy Van Newkirk. The individual attention enabled him to gain real-world insights he deems critical to his future growth.

鈥淎 lot of students just go to class and then don鈥檛 take the time to know their professors,鈥� Colas said. 鈥淒eveloping a relationship with a professor helps you understand what they do, and then you get to ask them questions that will help you going forward, such as: What does it take to get to grad school? How did you get where you are today?鈥�

Eventually Colas wants to get a job in research and development, and he knows communicating his work is important. SURE helps him hone those skills. Last year he earned an honorable mention for his presentation. This year he hopes to do better.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait,鈥� Colas said. 鈥淚鈥檓 ready.鈥�

The week kicks off April 4 with a day of workshops, and on聽April 5-6 students from all disciplines across campus will share their research with the 麻豆原创 community. Both events will be in the Student Union Pegasus Ballroom. Student presenters will share their work and compete for cash awards for best in category presentations.

For聽details about the week聽and a schedule, visit .

Leah Morissette earned one of two honorable mentions and a $200 scholarship for her poster 鈥淚njection Techniques of Subcutaneous Anticoagulant Therapies鈥�. Dr. Kelly Allred was her faculty advisor.

The other students who presented their research posters were Britany Bowks, Suzeline Desir, Kayla Gayle-Campbell, Annabeth Huff, Lindsay Perna and Erica Thomas.

Additionally, two graduate students presented their research at the university鈥檚 Graduate Research Forum.

Dawn Turnage, who is expected to graduate in May with a Doctor of Nursing Practice, presented her DNP project, 鈥淎n Implementation Project to Improve Provider Review and Recommendation of Immunizations in Adult Patients with Psoriasis Receiving Biologic Therapy鈥� to the forum judges. Turnage is also on faculty as a nursing instructor. Dr. Christopher Blackwell served as the committee chair for Turnage鈥檚 DNP project.

Marion Bendixen, also expected to graduate in May with her Master of Science in nursing education, presented her poster, 鈥淭he Effect of Tongue-Tie Division on Breastfeeding Duration in Infants Ankyloglossia: An Integrated Literature Review鈥�. Dr. Susan Quelly served as her faculty advisor on her research.

The week kicks off with a day of workshops including Dr. Tim Brown鈥檚 Communicating Your Research Workshop- ideal for those planning to present at one of the student research showcase鈥檚 later in the week. 聽For those students who are not yet involved in research but would like to learn more, Dr. Kimberly Schneider will be presenting Getting Started-Undergraduate Research that will review the research programs at 麻豆原创, how to find a faculty mentor, and more! Finally, the day will come to a close with a workshop for ALL 麻豆原创 students on how to find, apply, and be competitive for National and International Scholarships and Fellowships. This workshop presented by the College of Graduate Studies will offer attendees a look at some of the largest and most prestigious financial awards that students can apply for and how to prepare their applications.

On Tuesday and Thursday, 麻豆原创 students from all disciplines across campus will share their research with the 麻豆原创 Community at the Graduate Research Forum and Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence respectively. Both open-house style events will be held in the Student Union Pegasus Ballroom and are open to everyone. Student presenters will receive faculty feedback, share their work, and compete for cash awards for best in category presentations! These celebrations of student research are also excellent opportunities for students early in their research career to ask questions of others and learn more about their academic disciplines.

Wednesday will feature three workshops ranging from a panel discussion about Planning for Success in Graduate School, a workshop entitled The Library- Your Research Partner for Finding and Organizing Your Literature, and finally a new addition to student research week- Student to Student: Debunking the Myths of Undergraduate Research, which will allow undergraduates the opportunity to converse with current researchers about how they got involved in research and what the experience is like.

Student Research Week is the primetime to highlight the excellence of scholarship at 麻豆原创 and also encourage others who may be interested in getting involved with research.

The week kicks off with a day of workshops including associate professor Tim Brown鈥檚 Communicating Your Research Workshop, ideal for those planning to present at one of the student research showcases later in the week. 聽For those students who are not yet involved in research but would like to learn more, Kimberly Schneider, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, 聽will be presenting Getting Started 鈥� Undergraduate Research that will review the research programs at 麻豆原创, how to find a faculty mentor, and more.

The day will come to a close with a workshop for all 麻豆原创 students on how to find, apply, and be competitive for national and international scholarships and fellowships. This workshop presented by the College of Graduate Studies will offer attendees a look at some of the largest and most prestigious financial awards that students can apply for and how to prepare their applications.

On March 31 and April 2, 麻豆原创 students from all disciplines across campus will share their research with the 麻豆原创 community at the Graduate Research Forum and Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence respectively. Both open house events will be held in the Student Union Pegasus Ballroom and are open to everyone. Student presenters will receive faculty feedback, share their work, and compete for cash awards for best-in-category presentations. These celebrations of student research are also excellent opportunities for students early in their research career to ask questions of others and learn more about their academic disciplines.

April 1 will feature three workshops ranging from a panel discussion about Planning for Success in Graduate School, a workshop entitled The Library- Your Research Partner for Finding and Organizing Your Literature, and finally a new addition to student research week: Student to Student: Debunking the Myths of Undergraduate Research, which will allow undergraduates the opportunity to converse with current researchers about how they got involved in research and what the experience is like. 聽

Student Research Week is to highlight the excellence of scholarship at 麻豆原创 and also encourage others who may be interested in getting involved with research.

Arts and Humanities

Leah DeLorenzo

Parental Beliefs and Attitudes on Enrollment in a Dual Language Program at an Elementary School

Education

Patrick Craanen

The Effect of a Self-Monitoring Treatment Intervention Package on the Academic Productivity Behavior of Three High School Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Social Science

Mercedes Beaudoin

Prospective Solutions and Barriers of Integrating Sustainable Development into Local Planning and Management

STEM: Physics Sciences

Tracy Becker

Unique Solar Occultation Measures Particle Sizes in Saturn’s F Ring

The inaugural Symposium, put on by the Florida Council of Graduate Deans, allowed students to earn bragging rights for top research projects in the state, as well as provided them opportunities to share scholarly research and to network and discuss possible research collaborations with other students and faculty in the state of Florida.

More than 75 graduate students representing eight universities from across Florida displayed their research through poster presentations. Students had already earned top marks in their category from their own respective university graduate research competitions. First and second place certificates were awarded in each of the seven categories: Arts and Humanities, Education, Health Sciences, Social Science, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Physics Sciences.

麻豆原创 had 21 students compete in the Symposium, all winners from this past year’s Graduate Research Forum. More than half of the first place winners of the Symposium represented 麻豆原创.

Congratulations to all of our students who represented 麻豆原创 at the Statewide Symposium, and congratulations to our winners.

Scheduled for Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in the Student Union, the Graduate Research Forum is an excellent opportunity for you to showcase your research and creative projects in poster format while receiving valuable feedback from faculty judges. Cash awards of $800 for best poster submission in each category are given, and all participants receive university-wide recognition.聽Current 麻豆原创 graduate students from all studies and disciplines are encouraged to participate.

Brandon Lojewski, a previous Graduate Research Forum winner, took what he learned from the Forum and went on to win a $100,000 competition for his 鈥済reen鈥� research-based company. 鈥淲inning the Graduate Research Forum supported and substantiated my research, proving that this research is not only potentially commercializable, but it is also academically important,鈥� shares Lojewski. Winning the Graduate Research Forum gave him the boost he needed, encouraging him to pursue his research further, and he was rewarded greatly for it.

If you have a research or creative project that you would like to share with the world, submit your proposal today! All you need is your abstract of 250 words or less, along with your name, contact information, and the title of the presentation. There is no cost for submissions. Proposals must be received by Monday, February 11, 2013. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Don鈥檛 wait鈥攕ubmit your proposals today and share some of the success of former Graduate Research Forum winners!

For more information on the Graduate Research Forum and submission guidelines, please visit www.graduate.ucf.edu/ResearchForum or email researchweek@ucf.edu.

麻豆原创鈥檚 Student Research Week is a time to celebrate the research and creative projects of 麻豆原创 students. From April 1 鈥� 4 at the 麻豆原创 Student Union, you can check out the remarkable cutting-edge research 鈥� many times using the most advanced modern technology 鈥� that students are undertaking to explore community challenges and help solve real-world problems. Research presentations will be displayed during the Graduate Research Forum and the Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence (SURE). Student Research Week also features a great assortment of helpful professional development workshops and The State of STEAM, a unique art exhibit containing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) inspired artworks. All events are free and open to the public. For more information and a complete schedule of events, please visit .