Scholars News Desk
Two Scholars Present at Research Symposium
February 29, 2008
College Park, Md. As much of the UM student body gears up for mid-terms and spring break, others have devoted their time to putting the finishing touches to their multi-semester research projects. On Thursday, February 28th, two College Park Scholars participated in this year’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Research Symposium, in collaboration with the College of Chemical and Life Sciences. The Institute supports the independent research activities of talented undergraduate students under the direct supervision of a faculty investigator/mentor. The objectives of the program are: To allow students to experience the investigative process; to demonstrate their aptitude for research; to develop a close collaboration with a faculty mentor; and to strengthen their conviction in their career choice.
At the forum, Mark Layer, a graduate of Richard Montgomery High School and a 2006 College Park Scholars/Life Sciences Citation recipient, presented his research entitled, “Codon Scanning Mutagenesis Utilizing a Mu-A Transposase.” Mark conducted his research under the mentorship of Dr. Ashton Cropp and doctoral candidate Kelly Daggett, in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Mark is pursuing two degrees: One in biology and one in chemistry, with a minor in East Asian studies. He plans to pursue medical school for a career in medical research and surgery. Mark is the son of Victoria Rozanski and David Layer.
Also presenting was Sam Marionni, a 2007 College Park Scholars/Environmental Studies Citation recipient and graduate of Eleanor Roosevelt High School. His research, entitled, “Complete Biosynthetic Pathway of Piericidin in Streptomyces Mobaraensis,” was also conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Ashton Cropp. Sam is majoring in chemistry, planning to pursue graduate school in inorganic chemistry, researching photovoltaics. He is the son of Joan Marionni, of Greenbelt, Md.
HHMI Undergraduate Research Fellows are selected through a rigorously competitive process; each research fellow received financial support. For more information on the Howard Hughes Research Fellowship program, consult: http://www.life.umd.edu/hhmi/
For more information on this press release or on College Park Scholars, contact Kevin Baxter at (301) 314-1522, or bax@umd.edu.
