Doing Research During The Break

What will you be doing over winter break? For 22 Onondaga Community College students, the break from classes will provide them the opportunity to do scientific research at partner institutions SUNY ESF, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and Syracuse University.

A total of 22 students were selected for the week-long, paid research opportunities. All are in STEM-related degree programs at OCC.

The names of the students, complex topics of their research, and institutions they will be studying at are listed below:

• Mariah Abdikarin - plant fungus interactions and climate change with Professor Katie Becklin at Syracuse University.
• Mohammad Afsar - community and ecosystem ecology, fungi, microbes, plants, and global change with Professor Jamie Lamit at Syracuse University.
• Mariam Almohamad - phytoremediation (the use of plants to clean up environmental contaminants) with Professor Lee Newman at SUNY ESF.
• Ramez Bastoni - plant fungus interactions and climate change with Professor Katie Becklin at Syracuse University.
• Olivia Brown - how microbes interact with their microbiomes with Professor Angela Oliverio at Syracuse University.
• Essi Cole - responses of microbial communities to emerging contaminants in both natural and engineered systems with Professor Yaqi You at SUNY ESF.
• Molly DiLiberto - disordered proteins in formation of membraneless organelles with Professor Alaji Bah at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
• Melissa Duran - using the animal model organism C. elegans to investigate the mechanisms of environmental programming of gene expression and its impact on adult phenotypes with Professor Sarah Hall at Syracuse University.
• Maryrose Fiore - landscape design, urban planning, focus on design-driven, equity-focused, and benefits-based landscapes with Professor Jean Yang at SUNY ESF.
• Kaitlyn Gilmore - how sunlight degrades and transforms chemicals in seawater with Professor Leanne Powers at SUNY ESF.
• Devin Harvil - landscape visualization, computer simulations, and 3-d modeling with Professor Aidan Ackerman at SUNY ESF.
• Nicolas Hayes - climate and environmental reconstructions in the Arctic using geologic and biological material from lake sediment cores with Professor Melissa Chipman at Syracuse University.
• Mustafa Khaleel - how organisms interact with their environment and each other with Professor Aaron Ninokawa at SUNY ESF.
• Elizabeth Kraynak - air pollution, chemistry, and computer modeling with Professor Ted Dibble at SUNY ESF
• Stephen Manzene - landscape visualization, computer simulations, and 3-d modeling with Professor Aidan Ackerman at SUNY ESF
• Jasmine Martin - using the animal model organism C. elegans to investigate the mechanisms of environmental programming of gene expression and its impact on adult phenotypes with Professor Sarah Hall at Syracuse University.
• Yama Nagi - disordered proteins in formation of membraneless organelles with Professor Alaji Bah at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
• Mylinh Nguyen - protein quality control mechanisms and protein homeostasis, cell responses to stress with Professor Carlos Castaneda at Syracuse University.
• Carlos Rodriguez - how complex combinations of environmental stressors impact the activities of key microbial populations with Professor Jennifer Goff at SUNY ESF
• Colby Stables - plant physiology of trees and how plant cell walls are formed with Professor Heather Coleman at Syracuse University.
• Taylor Westerlund - climate and environmental reconstructions in the Arctic using geologic and biological material from lake sediment cores with Professor Melissa Chipman at Syracuse University.
• Malik Williams - phytoremediation (the use of plants to clean up environmental contaminants) with Professor Lee Newman at SUNY ESF.

The students will share the findings of their research during a symposium on the OCC campus in February.

The research opportunity is being funded by a National Science Foundation grant titled "Advancing Innovation & Impact Undergraduate STEM Education Two Year Colleges."