Undergrad researchers win prizes at SOUSCC

Undergrad researchers win prizes at SOUSCC

Congratulations to this year’s participants at SOUSCC:  Kathleen Fontana, Sara Mechael,  Alexander Tang, Paul Meister, Dominque Leckie, Grace Teskey and Nathan Bazinski (left to right). Our students made us proud with their excellent presentations.

Three students were awarded prizes:

Materials Chemistry: (10 presentations; Prizes Available: 1st, 2nd, Honorable Mention)                                                                                                                                       Sara Mechel (Carmichael Lab)- 2nd Prize: Highly Stretchable Gold Films by Replica Molding Microstructure in PDMS

Kathleen Fontana (Mutus Lab)- Honorable Mention: Chitosan Derivatives For Wound Healing

Biological Chemistry: (15 presentations; Prizes Available, 1st 2nd, 3rd)

Grace Teskey (Pandey Lab)- 3rd Prize: The Anti-Cancer Activity of Hibiscus and Lemon Grass on U-937 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cells 

For more information on the SOUSCC, visit: http://www.souscc2016.com/ 

Students successful in Blue Sky Competition

Farzana Afin (Master’s student in biochemistry) and Fahmida Afrin (Undergraduate student in civil engineering) won first place and $1500 in the Blue Sky Competition from an idea that hatched in collaboration with Michael Holmes, who is a recent PhD graduate from the department.  This competition is sponsored by the Epicentre at UWindsor.

http://www.epicentreuwindsor.ca/blue-sky-competition-details/  

They generated a genetically modified cotton plant which grows coloured cotton instead of regular white cotton. This was done by inserting flower pigmentation genes into the cotton genome. Synthetic dyes are used to colour white cotton fabrics and about 700,000 tons dyes are run off into the waterways every year. This genetically modified coloured cotton would eliminate the need for synthetic dyes which are harmful to the environment. It is also cost effective because manufacturers will not have to purchase the dye. 

Congratulations to all involved!