Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) students Catherine Campbell ’22, Nathena Murray ’22, Jazmine Richardson ’22, and Camila Tirado ’23 presented their research at the 22nd annual Syracuse University Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Symposium, held at Drumlins Country Club on April 1, 2022.
Part of the School of Education’s Center for Academic Achievement and Student Development, LSAMP is dedicated to increasing the number of underrepresented students graduating with baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Among the event’s distinguished presenters, Campbell is a senior in the Renee Crown Honors Program majoring in Medicinal Chemistry and Physics on the pre-med track. Her research work in the Bah Lab in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department of SUNY Upstate Medical University studies the phase separation of intrinsically disorder proteins. She is currently working on her thesis “Characterization of the SARS-Co V-2 Nucleocapsid Protein.” In addition to LSAMP, WiSE, and the Honors Program, she has received support from the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Civic Engagement (SOURCE). Campell’s goal is to become a physician.
Murray is a chemistry and neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her poster described her investigation into the folding properties of a lipidated disordered peptide to gain insight into its potential use as a carrier for drug delivery. Murray plans to apply to medical school after graduation.
An African American studies and biotechnology, Richardson is part of Professor John Franck’s Franck Lab. Her undergraduate research centers on the interactions between water and molecules such as proteins and lipids and the development of a turbidostat (a continuous microbiological culture device) to automate the protein expression process. Richardson wishes to pursue a master’s degree in biomedical engineering—this September 2021 profile notes that while her research focuses on the microscopic, “her goals are anything but.”
Biotechnology major Tirado is investigating CRISPR gene technology and transgenic plants in the College of Arts and Science’s Coleman Lab. She also has done research on poplar trees, alongside other undergraduate and graduate students, to understand their use for biofuels. Tirado’s future goal is to work in the beauty tech industry.
Now in its 23rd year, WiSE supports the recruitment, persistence, and advancement of women in STEM. The symposium was attended by SU Chancellor Kent Syverud, Provost Gretchen Ritter, and WiSE alumna, including Treasure Bellamy ’17, who graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and minor in African American Studies. Her involvement on campus included being a program assistant for and participant in the WiSE Women of Color in STEM program, tutor for the South Side Communication Center, and a transfer student mentor. Bellamy currently works as a Scientist at L’Oreal in New Jersey
Learn more about the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, or contact the program at lsamp@syr.edu or 315.443.5274.
