Class of 2014
2012-2014 Ship Students
Amna Adam is a Sudanese-American student majoring in Biochemistry. However, I am a second year within my major. I plan to graduate in 2014 hopefully and pursue a Master’s in Medicinal Chemistry. After which, I plan to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience specifically within the Neurodegenerative Diseases field and/or an MD in neurosurgery. Currently, I work in Dr. David Rotella’s Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory under the supervision and guidance of Post-doctorate Sreedhar Tummalapalli. The project I work on is on Optimization of Protein Kinase Inhibitors for Tropical Disease. In our work so far, we have made compounds with good activity against the kinase and improved activity in cell culture against adult and microfilarial worms. Mentor: Dr. David Rotella.
Lisa Applegate is a Psychology major with a minor in Sociology and a penchant for taking classes in unrelated yet equally interesting fields. An honors seminar in evolution her sophomore year helped shape what would become a passion for science and research, and also conveniently led to finding her mentor, Dr. Julian Keenan. Lisa has worked with Dr. Keenan for the past two years in the Cognitive NeuroImaging Laboratory studying self-awareness, self-deception, and free will. She is honored to be a part of this year's SHIP program and will be researching the genetics of auditory perception and preference using D. Melanogaster as a model system. Mentor: Dr. Julian Keenan.
Yvelande Cajuste is majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I am also a participant of the Health Careers Program, here at Montclair State University. Throughout the years, I have realized I have a strong desire to pursue a career as a healthcare practitioner. At the same time, I find it hard to ignore my desire for research where I will seek solutions for diseases and advocate the lifelong benefits of treating those diseases. I find it even more interesting to alter and correct the genetic makeup and outcome of many diseases and sicknesses observed in children.
Dan Flores is majoring in Molecular Biology and minoring in Chemistry. Since my freshman year I have been involved with the Biology club and also the LSAMP organization, where presently I serve as a scholar under the LSAMP organization and am the treasurer for the Biology club.
With a constant interest in the sciences throughout my life, I have become especially interested in pathogens and the numerous defense mechanisms Humans employ as a response to these pathogens. Thus, the field of Immunology, Virology and Microbiology have become of great interest to me. As a result I am truly excited to have the opportunity to work with viruses and observe the effect natural substances such as Curcumin have on such viruses, under the supervision of my Mentor: Dr. Adams.
Pamela Guerron is a double major in Math Education and Physics with a concentration in Astronomy at Montclair State University. I transferred from Hudson County Community College where I received my Associates in Elementary/Secondary education. As I began my education at Montclair State I found a love for Physics and decided to explore that area further. This decision opened the doors to new opportunities. I am currently secretary of the Physics Club at MSU and a mentor in the LSAMP community. I have been working on my research project since Fall 2011 examining fibers on the fluid tank at different velocities, trying to find limits of oscillation and bending. In the future, I plan to get my Masters degree in Applied Mathematics and a PhD in Physics to continue with my love for research. Mentor: Dr. Vaidya.
Aliaskar Hasani is obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Molecular Biology Major with a Chemistry Minor. Being on the forefront of knowledge has always been a dream of mine and thankfully I was lucky enough to be presented with the opportunity to be a part of the SHIP program. With my background of tutoring in a lot of the basic science classes I feel I have a strong foundation to build on, and begin my career in research and explore the different aspects of Molecular Biology. I will be working with Dr. Molina and studying the correlation between the ICER protein and Melanoma cells in Zebra Fish. Mentor: Dr. Molina.
Jung Eun (Jasmine) Lee is majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Psychology. I am also in the Teaching Program because I strongly believe in the importance of good chemistry educators. My ultimate goal is to regularly contribute to the field of chemistry by continuing research that advances our community and educating people about the relevance and importance of chemistry. After graduation, I would like to continue acquiring teaching experience while working toward a Ph.D. in Chemistry and doing research in improving and preserving our natural environment. My three passions are chemistry, people, and nature. Currently, I am conducting research with Dr. David P. Rotella in Medicinal Chemistry, and we are working to synthesize an HSP90 inhibitor as a possible drug against brain disease (such as Alzheimer's), cancer, and parasitic disease, using the structure of epigallocatechin gallate (better known as EGCG, a natural component of green tea). Mentor: Dr. Sandra Passchier
As a child, Carolyn Mathieu used to visit her parents’ pharmaceutical laboratories and was fascinated by all the bubbling flasks and sophisticated testing machinery. That feeling has remained with her and allowed her to pursue a major in Chemistry. She honored to be a part of the SHIP program since it will provide her with the proper research skills to become a chemist. Currently, her research is analyzing heavy metal concentrations in contaminated soils and their effects on enzyme activity. Mentor: Dr. Nina Goodey.
Ross Scott-Miller is enrolled as an untraditional undergrad at Montclair and is pursuing his bachelors in biology. I have interest in cellular/molecular biology and physiology as a whole. Currently I am the undergraduate representative for the biology department on the Student Advisory Council for the College of Math and Science. I chose neuro as my field of research because it applies not only biology, but all of the other sciences. I belive that conducting research with a transdiscipline science approach will help solve more problems and open up more questions. Mentor: Dr. Petroff.
Lindsey Mirrer is obtaining a double major in aquatic and costal science as well as geoscience environmental science concentration. I plan on getting a masters in environmental engineering so that I could focus on environmental control processes, groundwater and soil pollution control, and inland and coastal environmental hydrodynamics. Over the course of the SHIP program I will be looking into how different types of land uses (urban, agricultural, and forested) have affected the nutrient loads in streams in northern New Jersey. Mentor: Dr. Meiyin Wu.
Brian Ruderman is an undergraduate Physics major at Montclair State University. I found the Electricity and magnetism class I took particularly interesting. When I got to work with ferrofluids as part of my project for the class, I became certain that I want to go into some form of research that deals with improving the ways we utilize electricity in our world. I am currently working on molecular spintronics with my. Mentor Dr. Patrick Truitt.
Felix Dailey Sterling is majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. As a child, I was deeply intrigued by the human body and how it worked. As I became older, my understanding of the human body increased but my curiosity did not cease to grow. I enjoy understanding how things function and why they function the way they do. When I was offered the opportunity to work with Dr. DiLorenzo, researching the toxicological affects of the World Trade Center dust on the human body, I was ecstatic and truly grateful. My ambition is to further understand the intricacies of the human body and use that knowledge to improve the longevity and quality of live for our coming generations. Mentor: Dr. Ann Marie DiLorenzo.
Hassan Tahir is majoring in Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I am also the Vice President of the Biology Club, Vice President of Global Medical Brigades, and an affiliate of LSAMP. My aspirations are to earn an MD/PhD dual degree so that I can connect both the Medical and Scientific aspects of healthcare to provide better care for our society as well as connect the gap between doctors and scientists; which is crucially needed in translational medicine. After working over the past summer (2012) as a molecular biology technician in a wet lab under the company Cancer Genetics Inc. (CGI), I found a personal satisfaction in working in a lab that determined the suppression of certain genes; such as TP53; to help doctors make accurate cancer prognosis's for their patients. The research I will be performing as an undergraduate student involves finding the synergistic effects EGCg (A cathelin found within green tea) has on antibiotic resistant bacteria. Mentor Dr. Lee.