Research Opportunities Inspire Students Career Goals

Onondaga Community College is helping Yama Nagi build the foundation she needs for a science-related career. In December she completed her Laboratory Science degree at OCC. The program is perfect for students interested in lab work or healthcare which does not require direct contact with patients.

In January, Nagi spent two weeks participating in the uSURE Science Research Undergraduate Experience. She studied disordered proteins in formation of membraneless organelles with Professor Alaji Bah at SUNY Upstate Medical University. "It was a great experience and it made me realize how passionate I am about research. I enjoyed the opportunity and they really made me feel welcome there."

Nagi was one of 22 OCC students who participated in scientific research during the winter break at either Upstate, SUNY-ESF, or Syracuse University. Each student created posters detailing their experiences, and answered questions from members of the campus community during the Winter Symposium. It was held February 7 on campus in the Gordon Student Center Great Room.

Symposium attendees included professors from other institutions who oversaw research projects with OCC students. One of those was Dr. Melissa Chipman, a Syracuse University Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. She worked with OCC students Nicolas Hayes and Taylor Westerlund, and had collaborated with OCC students previously. "OCC students are amazing to work with. They come in with open minds. They're hungry to learn which makes you want to teach more, and they work really hard which is really important. A lot of lab work is repetition and taking good notes and being really clear. I've found with OCC students you get them in, give them some training, and just leave them alone! They get amazing amounts of work done. They're really dedicated and really into it."

The day before the Symposium, Nagi learned she had been accepted at Upstate which is the same place where she did her research. She will start classes there this fall. "I was very excited when I found out! I will be in Medical Technology and may also study BioTech because of my research experience."

A complete list of the students who participated and details of their research is below. The program was funded by a National Science Foundation grant titled "Advancing Innovation & Impact Undergraduate STEM Education Two Year Colleges."

• 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.