UND summer undergraduate students present research

July 28, 2016

GRAND FORKS, N.D.—Fifty undergraduates present the results of their labors this summer at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Experience poster session from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Thursday, August 4, on the second floor of the new School of Medicine & Health Sciences building at 1301 North Columbia Rd. For the past 10 weeks, students from UND, as well as from rural and tribal colleges in Minnesota, North Dakota, and across the nation have conducted research and participated in a number of related educational opportunities. Students participated, shoulder-to-shoulder, with their mentor scientists from the UND Department of Biology, the UND Department of Civil Engineering, the UND SMHS Departments of Pathology and Biomedical Sciences, Cankdeska Cikana Community College, and the UND SMHS Center for Rural Health.

Funding for the students came from a variety of organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Office of the Dean at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

The students conducted biomedical research with scientists whose work has implications in the areas of neurological disease, cancer, diabetes, drug addiction, heart disease, and aging. Other research projects involved studying environmental influences on biological organisms.

One of the goals of the summer research program is to provide students with the opportunity to work side-by-side with an established research scientist. An additional goal is to recruit students from rural and tribal colleges for future participation in UND undergraduate and graduate programs. The program included students from North Dakota state community colleges and several high schools. The summer research program is designed ultimately to bolster the workforce pipeline of biomedical research scientists and healthcare professionals.

Students receive specific laboratory training. In weekly professional development sessions, the undergraduates learn how to responsibly conduct research, what is required in graduate and medical school application processes, and scientific writing. At the end of the summer, the students present their work in a research poster session.

In addition to the University of North Dakota, this year’s participants are from Central Valley High School, Buxton, N.D.; the College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho; College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University, St. Joseph, Minn.; Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.; Dakota College of Bottineau, Bottineau, N.D.; Drake-Anamoose High School, Drake, N.D.; Hillsboro High School, Hillsboro, N.D.; King University, Bristol, Tenn.; Millersville University, Millersville, Pa.; Presentation College, Aberdeen, S.D.; Sacred Heart High School, East Grand Forks, Minn.; Sinte Gleska University, Mission, S.D.; St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.; United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, N.D.; University of Denver, Denver, Colo.; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.; University of Jamestown, Jamestown, N.D.; University of Mary, Bismarck, N.D.; Wayne State College, Wayne, Neb.; and York College, York, Neb.

The students and their hometowns are the following:

Alex Stone, Aberdeen, S.D.
Tyler Fahy, Anamoose, N.D.
Zackary Dent, Barnesville, Minn.
Christian Peltier, Belcourt, N.D.
Kayana Trottier, Belcourt, N.D.
Kelsa Didier-Mills, Bellwood, Neb.
Brett Alberts, Bismarck, N.D.
Nikola Ves, Bottineau, N.D.
Miranda Goodman, Bristol, Tenn.
Arianna Riley, Buxton, N.D.
Ben Mueller, Cummings, N.D.
Nicholas Smith, Danbury, Wis.
Abbie Sondeland, Edinburg, N.D.
Katlin Schmitz, Elk River, Minn.
Andrew Hao, Fargo, N.D.
Kirsten Schumacher, Fargo, N.D.
Steven Russel, Farmington, Minn.
Natisha Corum, Grafton, N.D.
Alexis Antonenko, Grand Forks, N.D.
Eric Millette, Grand Forks, N.D.
Flint Devine, Grand Forks, N.D.
Paige Goodman, Grand Forks, N.D.
Valerie Doze, Grand Forks, N.D.
Paige Freeberg, Hampton, Minn.
Megan Braun, Hastings, Minn.
Sarai Seymour, Lake Worth, Fla.
Jack Warner, Lampeter, Pa.
Micah Kerney, Mandan, N.D.
Olivia Thorleifson, Manitou, Manitoba
Erika Scheibe, Meridian, Idaho
Lane Vendsel, Minot, N.D.
Nora Rimatzki, Minot, N.D.
Howard Fuller, Mission, S.D.
Alyssa Brown, Ogallala, Neb.
Mathew Cox, Olympia, Wash.
Ashley Detlaff, Palos Heights, Ill.
Harmoni Bahr, Rapid City, S.D.
Todd Andersen, Rogers, Minn.
Eleanor Swenson, St. Paul, Minn.
Brandon Narum, Stanley, N.D.
Mickayla DuFresne-To, Stillwater, Minn.
Seth Arntz, Thompson, N.D.
Cassidy Peterson, Velva, N.D.
Alexa Ward, White Bear Lake, Minn.
Danielle Germundson, Williston, N.D.
Natasha Marama, Willow City, N.D.
Nathalie Marama, Willow City, N.D.
Daniel Sayler, Wishek, N.D.

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Contact:
Denis F. MacLeod
Assistant Director, Office of Alumni and Community Relations
University of North Dakota
School of Medicine & Health Sciences
1301 N Columbia Rd, Stop 9037 | Room W103 | Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037
701.777.2733 direct | 218.779.3107 cell
denis.macleod@UND.edu
www.med.UND.edu/