This past weekend we celebrated the graduation of 5 members of the lab. These students have provided data for publications, presented at conferences, and most importantly learned from and supported each other through the ups and downs of research and events of the past few years which included a tornado, a hurricane, and a global pandemic. They perservered and I could not be more proud of them! Summer Adams completed her BS in Biology. After taking my Bioethics class she reached out to me about her future, thinking medical school might not be the right fit and not sure then what her next step might be. That fall she joined the lab and for the next 2 years she worked with her labmates to advance research, write and be awarded an ANS minigrant, present at local and regional conferences, and be selected to represent Louisiana Tech University at the 2021 University of Louisiana Academic Summit. Summer is heading off to Univerity of Texas Health Science Center where she will spend time working as a research assistant and preparing her applications for PhD programs. Caroline Rinderle completed her MS in Biology. I had the pleasure of being Caroline's assigned advisor when she entered Louisiana Tech University as a freshman and in that time watched her goals shift as she discovered a future in research. Caroline concurrently enrolled in the MS program while completing her BS in Biology (which she earned in the fall, graduating with a 4.0 GPA). During her time in the lab she was awarded a SIgma Xi GIAR, ANS minigrants, 1st place in the Graduate Presentations at ANS Day, and participated in conferences and the 3 Minute Thesis Competion. Caroline is heading off to University of North Text Health Science Center where she will work with long-time lab friend, Dr. Bruce Bunnell as a research assistant while she prepares her application for PhD programs. Jaylen Mumphrey complete his MS in Biology. Jaylen joined the lab after we met in Research Methods his first quarter at Louisiana Tech. Jaylen quickly immersed himself in the lab, demonstrating a true passion for the research process. In the two years Jaylen was a part of the lab he advanced research, was awarded a LaSPACE Graduate Student Research Award, an ANS minigrant, presented at conferences, and earned 1st place in his Graduate Student Poster category at the Louisiana Academcy of Sciences annual meeting. Jaylen is heading to the NIH to work as a research assistant while he explores opportunities for a future in biomedical research. Onyekachi (Kachi) Idigo completed her MS in Biology. Kachi joined the lab after we met in Bioethics her first quarter at Louisiana Tech. New to the University, Kachi was a bit uncertain of how to get started. After a few conversations she joined the group and has demonstrated a passion for research and collegiality. Kachi was the recipient of a Sigma Xi GIAR, ANS minigrants, and awards from the Louisiana Biomedical Research Network for her strong presentation of research. Kachi is heading to Rice University where she will join a PhD program to continue her career in research. Joseph Straub earned his PhD in Molecular Science and Nanotechnology. Over the past 6 years Joseph has not only advanced research in the lab, authoring 2 manuscripts and a literature review, he has kept the lab going and trained studens, providing a critical level of support and consistency. He has been awarded ANS minigrants, received awards for his presentations at meetings, and participated in a selective genomics summer program. The road to a PhD is never easy and especially not easy when faced with natural disasters that leave the town without the power anda global pandemic that shut the lab down for a few months. Joseph's dedication to research and teaching has been rewarded with a postiion on the faculty at his alma mater, Northwestern State University. where he will begin his academic career as an Assistant Professor this fall. I got to see a few other special students at the Honors Reception on Friday night. Hunter Currie spent some time as part of the lab as did Heather Vogel and Maddie Lechtenber, who I also had the pleasure of advising during theirtime at Louisiana Tech.
Time is flying and things are happening too fast for me to keep up. But today as I prepare for the first of four graduate student defenses it seems like it is time to catch up on what has happened the past two academic quarters. I am so proud to have such an amazing group of students who have overcome so much these past few years and stayed focused on their goals. The lab has looked different this past year after shutting down last March, holding Zoom lab meetings and even a Zoom Lab Reunion (best day of the year!), and wearing masks when we work, but these students haven't let up. This will be a tough quarter as so many graduate and we miss having them around. Fortunately they are part of the Newman Lab family and although we won't see them in the lab everyday we will stay connected. I have tried to summarize the past few months below and look forward to celebrating all those wrapping up this quarter over the coming weeks! Graduations: In the winter Rebecca Hodnett and Emily Barnett graduated! Rebecca earned her MS in Molecular Science and Nanotechnology after earning a LaSPACE GSRA, writing a children's book about stem cells, training new students in the lab, and advancing our work on Notch signaling in adipose stem cells. Rebecca will spend some time in education inspiring generations of kids to pursue careers in STEM! Emily earned her BS in Biology and will be attending LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport in the fall. She worked closely with Rebecca in the lab contributing to our research and encouraging others. It is always bittersweet to say goodbye but I know they will keep us posted on their adventures and success and I can't wait to see what these bright young women achieve!! Publications: This past year, despite the challenges associated with the on-going pandemic, the students in the lab used the time away to write. It is not easy for many of us to find the motivation to sit down and write especially when we have been sitting in the same place to do everything for so many months. I could not be prouder of what these students achieved! We had three publications this academic year with one making the cover! Except for me and my colleagues, Dr. Caldorera-Moore, all authors are Louisiana Tech students! Combination of Soluble Factors and Biomaterial Scaffolds Enhance Human Adipose-Derived Stromal/Stem Cell Myogenesis. Haley Barnett, India Pursell, Laura Lee, Nellie Perez, Mary Caldorera-Moore, Jamie J. Newman. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. September 3, 2020. Distinct Roles for Notch1 and Notch3 in Human Adipose-Derived Stem/Stromal Cell Adipogenesis. Mengcheng Liu, Hannah Logan, Jamie J. Newman. Molecular Biology Reports. October 2020 Mediator's Kinase Module: A Modular Regulator of Cell Fate. Joseph Straub, Sree Venigalla, Jamie J. Newman. Stem Cells & Development. December 2020 Conferences: The conference season because in February and is not over yet. Virtual events are not the same as getting to travel with the group but once again students have embraced the opportunity and done a great job!! Louisiana Tech Undergraduate Research Symposium was held in February, in the middle of a Louisiana snow storm. All students from the lab who presented were among 10 presentations selected to represent the university at the upcoming University of Louisiana Academic Summit! Wastewater Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Presenter: Laura Lee, Biology Notch Signaling Plays a Key Role in Regulating Adult Stem Cell Osteogenic Differentiation Presenters: Summer Adams, Biological Sciences & Lucas Norris, Biomedical Engineering The Influence of MED12 Knockdown on Adipogenesis Presenters: Emily Meaney & Jamie Sparkman, Biological Sciences Louisiana Academy of Sciences was held on March 13 and once again the students impressed me with their dedication, spending their Saturday on a virtual conference event, with a few receiving recognition for their achievements. The Influence of MED12 Knockdown on Adipogenesis Presenters: Emily Meaney & Jamie Sparkman, Biological Sciences 1st place undergraduate poster competition Notch and Mediator work together to direct hASC self-renewal Presenters: Jaylen Mumphrey & Taylor Team, Biological Sciences 1st place graduate student poster competition Wastewater Detection of SARS-CoV2 Presenter: Laura Lee The Role of MED12 in Adipogenesis Presenter: Caroline Rinderle The Role of Notch1 and Notch 3 in Adult Stem Cell Osteogenic Differentiation Presenter: John Bradley Cart 1st place graduate student oral competition Awards: This year there have also been a few awards and grants received by the lab. The first was the awarding of ANS Minigrants. Students must write clear summaries of their research in order to be selected for a grant that supports that work. Every student in the lab who wrote one worked hard and was awarded a minigrant!
Caroline Rinderle wrote and was awarded a Sigma Xi Grant in Aid of Research to support her on-going work in the lab. Two gradaute students received Louisiana Space Constortium Research Awards to support their thesis work. John Bradley Cart (left) is currently pursuing his MS degree in Molecular Science and Nanotechnology and will be working on a project that investigates the role of Notch signaling in osteogenesis. Jaylen Mumphrey (right) is currently pursuing his MS degree in Biology and will be working on a project that investigates the relationship between Notch signaling and the Mediator complex in the maintenance of adult stem cell self-renewal. Both students plan to pursue careers in areas of biomedical research.
The COVID-19 pandemic did lead to the cancellation of the 2020 Louisiana Academy of Sciences Annual meeting but that did not stop the organization from recognizing students for outstanding extended abstract submissions. Congratulations to Haley Barnett, John Bradley Cart, and Caroline Rinderle for their recognition and achievement!
All year I had intentions of making a blog post. Every week I thought I would find the time and every week something else came up. So, with this post I will wrap up a hectic and exciting year by highlighting some of the lab's accomplishments. It's been a long year and hopefully I have covered everything! Fall 2019: This quarter started with my own promotion to Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Applied and Natural Sciences (now you know why it took so long to find time to make a blog post!) India Pursell (2019), an undergraduate from the lab began a position as a lab technician with Dr. Bruce Bunnell at Tulane University - so proud of her! Winter 2020: The winter quarter is always tricky because of all of the breaks, so we don't always have as much going on. The lab did have several students present at the Louisiana Biomedical Research Network Annual Meeting where students were recognized for their strong presentations, Haley Barnett (awarded 1st runner up) and Sree Venigalla participated in the 3 Minute Thesis Competition and at the Louisiana Tech University Undergraduate Research Symposium. Rebecca Hodnett and Sree Venigalla were recognized as Featured Students by the College of Applied and Natural Sciences. Last, but certainly not least, Claire Peterson graduated with her BS in Biology! Spring 2020: As we all know COVID-19 meant a number of conferences were canceled and labs were closed, changing the way we do so much!! That said, there have still been some big events....Haley Barnett successfully defended her dissertation!! The Journey of a Stem Cell authored by graduate student Rebecca Hodnett was published and is being distributed throughout the community to teach children about stem cells. Students received awards from Louisiana Tech's Center for Biomedical Engineering & Rehabilitation Sciences (CBERS) - Scott Liu (PhD), Foram Patel (Undergraduate), and John Bradley Cart (Undergraduate). After 3 years as a lab technician at MIT, former undergraduate Demi Sandel (2017) decided to attend UCSF for graduate school - congratulations!!! Former undergradaute Connor Hartupee (2019) decided to attend LSUHSC-New Orleans for medical school - congratulations!!! Other updates from former students:
Erik Beadle (2016) and Nehal Patel (2016) continue their PhD research at Vanderbilt and Tulane, respectively Justin Philobos (2017) is finishing his second year of medical school at UC Riverside and became a dad earlier this year. Matthew Busby (2018) is finishing his second year of medical school at LSUHSC Shreveport School of Medicine and continues to participate in research at the medical school. Natalee Dinkins (2018) is in Dental School at LSU School of Dentistry Rachel Eddy (2018) is in Vet School at LSU Katie Whitehead (2018) is finishing up her second year in the MD/PhD program at LSUHSC-New Orleans and will begin the research for her PhD this summer. Hannah Logan (2019) and Avery Bryan (2019) are finishing their first year of medical school at LSUHSC-Shreveport I am so proud of all the members of the Newman Lab past and present and look forward to see what they do next! Stay healthy and safe! On Friday and Saturday we celebrated the accomplishments and graduation of several undergraduates from the lab. Each of these students spent at least a year in the lab with some spending as many as 3 years of their undergraduate career performing research in my lab. I could not be prouder of how much these students have achieved from ANS minigrants, LaSPACE undergraduate research awards, top honors in oral and poster presentations at local and state meetings, the completion of an honors thesis, admission to medical school. and authorship on peer reviewed manuscripts. I can't wait to see what they all do next!!! Graduates: India Pursell - 3 years in the lab, recipient of LaSPACE LURA, 1st place in several presentations this year, and will be staying in the lab to complete her master's degree Michael Osmun - 3 years in the lab, recipient of ANS minigrants and tremendous support to several projects in the lab. Michael will take a gap year while he applies to medical school Hannah Logan - 2+ years in the lab, completed honors thesis (something only 2% of honors students achieve), and will be attending medical school in the fall Conner Hartupee - 2+ years in the lab, represented Louisiana Tech in Washington DC last week to advocate for undergraduate research funding, and has mentored dozens of students through MCAT test prep. Conner will be teaching for a year before attending medical school Conner Bennett - 1+ year in the lab, selected to represent Louisiana Tech at the University of Louisiana Academic Summit, and will continue to work part time in the lab next year while applying for medical school Jacob Cambre - 1+ year in the lab, ANS minigrant, and Notch group rap song. Jacob will be teaching English abroad while applying to medical school. Last week was a busy week for the lab and especially some of our undergraduates. On Monday, April 8, Hannah Logan successfully defended her honors thesis. This is a rare achievement by students who pursue the undergraduate honors program at Louisiana Tech University. Hannah is only the second undergraduate from the College of Applied and Natural Science to complete a thesis. She worked hard and did an outstanding job, representing not only her research but all that she learned by participating in undergraduate research. Hannah graduates in May and will be attending medical school in the fall. On Thursday, April 11 all of the lab presented at the college's annual research symposium. Hannah Logan, Conner Hartupee, and Chris Miller gave oral presentations and Rebecca Hodnett, Sree Venigalla, Connor Bennet, Joseph Straub, India Pursell, Heather Vogel, and Scott Liu gave poster presentations Conner Hartupee was recognized by the School of Biological Sciences as a featured student, Hannah Logan was awarded 1st place in the undergraduate oral presentation competition, India Logan and Heather Vogel tied for 1st place in the undergraduate Biological Sciences poster competition. Joseph Straub and Conner Hartupee were awarded 2nd place in the graduate poster competition, and Scott Liu was awarded 1st place in the graduate poster competition. A great day for the Newman Lab. Finally, on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning a group of these same students traveled to Grambling State University for the 8th annual University of Louisiana System Academic Summit. Students presented posters and oral presentations on their research, representing Louisiana Tech University. Members of the lab made up 4 of the 10 students/research presentations selected to represent the University at this annual event. Everyone did a great job!
Winter 2019 graduate Avery Bryan was recently admitted to LSU Schoool of Medicine in Shreveport as part of the entering class of Fall 2019 . Avery participated in undergraduate research in the lab for 2 years and in that time presented at several conferences and symposium. She was awarded a CBERS Undergraduate Research Award in 2018 and most recently Avery her labmate John Bradley Cart were awarded 1st place in the Louisiana Tech University Undergraduate Research Symposium and will represent the University at the University of Louisiana Academic Summit next week in Grambling, LA. I am so proud of Avery - her hard work, dedication, and continued pursuit of her goal to attend medical school has definitely paid off! This past weekend I took 13 members of the lab down to Southern University in Baton Rouge to attend the 93rd Annual Louisiana Academy of Sciences Meeting. The students did a great job presenting posters and oral presentations highlighting their research projects. They also enjoyed some time outside looking at the Mississippi River that borders the campus. Awards are given to the top undergraduate and graduate student presentations in various academic disciplines and this year Hannah Logan won 1st place in the undergraduate poster competition for Molecular, Biomedical, and Microbiology and Scott Liu won first place in the graduate student oral presentation competition for the same discipline. Everyone did a great job!!
Today was the Louisiana Tech Undergraduate Research Symposium where students from across the University had the opportunity to share their research through poster and oral presentations. Six students from the lab participated in the event representing the lab, the School of Biological Sciences, and the College of Applied and Natural Sciences. They all did a great job and all of them will move on to represent the University at the 2019 University of Louisiana Academic Summit later this spring. Final Awards:
India Pursell - 4th place oral presentation Avery Bryan & John Cart - 1st place poster presentation Connor Bennet & Conner Hartuppe - 3rd place poster presentation Hannah Logan - 4th place poster presentation |
Dr. Jamie NewmanAssociate Professor of Biological Sciences Archives
May 2021
Categories
All
|