MMC Biology Student Earns Honors at National Science Conference

Emerson Khost ’13 earned an Honorable Mention at the 16th Annual ASBMB Undergraduate Student Research Competition for his research findings in the connection between insulin dysregulation and neurodegenerative disease.

Alexandra Tarasenko ’12, a biology major, also presented the results of her studies on BPA leaching in baby bottles, conducted under the guidance of Chair of the Sciences Division Benedetta Sampoli Benitez, Ph.D. Professor Benitez additionally presented her own research findings regarding her computational analysis of a DNA repair enzyme. 

Alumna Ashley Brower ’07, MMC’s science lab supervisor, presented a poster in collaboration with Devin Columbus ’09, Ray Romano ’11 and Dr. Ann Aguanno. This poster described an analysis of three training programs they developed to help students gain laboratory and research skills. Professor Aguanno also gave an oral presentation of those findings, as well as a presentation on the New York City Partnership to Advance Science (NYCPAS) Collaborative Research Program conducted last year between local New York City high schools and MMC’s Division of the Sciences. 

Co-sponsored by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), Experimental Biology is an annual gathering of six scientific societies, including the American Association of Anatomists (AAA), the American Physiological Society (APS), the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). The meeting provides a forum for leading scientists, undergraduates and graduate students to showcase their work. In past years, Experimental Biology has attracted more than 14,000 attendees, the vast majority of whom were scientists. 

Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, independent, liberal arts college. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual achievement and personal growth and by providing opportunities for career development.

Published: May 04, 2012