research ambassadors

Research Ambassador Application - Apply Today!

The ICRU Research Ambassador Program gathers University of Iowa undergraduates from all disciplines to promote undergraduate research. Research Ambassadors helps determine how best to promote undergraduate research during the academic year. Contact the Research Ambassadors by clicking on their name.

Alfonza Brown is a junior,majoring in Microbiology. He is originally from Minneapolis, MN, but has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina for three years. As part of the Iowa Bioscience Advantage program he does undergraduate research in the Pathology department, working with infectious diseases such as Influenza, Streptococcus, and Staphylococcus, under PI Dr. Kevin Legge. Currently he is working on building a pulmonary bacterial model which tests the relationship between Chronic Alcohol consumption and increased mortality and decreased CD8 T Cells in alcoholics with bacterial infections. Throughout his years at the University he has attended and presented at numerous conferences local and nationwide. His latest conference being in California. When Al is not presenting research he enjoys travelling, relaxing, and reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sena Dzakuma is a senior majoring in Chemistry. Sena graduated in 2008 from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, in Aurora, Illinois, where her early passion for research was found. Currently, Sena is working in the Division of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry (MNPC) under Dr. Horacio F. Olivo with whom she has been working with since summer 2007 through the Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP) at the University of Iowa.  In the Olivo Research Group, Sena is currently working on the “Synthesis of Anti-Tuberculosis Diterpenes”. The goal of her investigation is to design a synthetic strategy that allows the preparation of different isomers of diterpenes that will be tested and compared to the ones that exist in nature. Sena is also an Iowa Bioscience Advantage (IBA) Scholar. As a scholar, Sena is given the opportunity to gain research experience at the University of Iowa through a program that provides research opportunities for minorities interested in biosciences research in preparation for a doctoral degree. At the end of her studies, Sena plans to obtain a PhD in one of the many divisions of chemistry, to either work in pharmaceutical industry, or make her way into academia. Outside of academics, Sena enjoys dancing and playing tennis.

Maia Griffith is a junior microbiology major from Homewood, Illinois. As a member of the Iowa Biosciences Advantage program at the university, Maia works in Dr. Nicholas Zavazava's lab at the Iowa City VA. Currently, bone marrow transplant is the golden standard of treatment for a variety of hematological (blood-related) diseases, such as leukemia. This lab explores a new source of cells that could treat these diseases, hematopoetic progenitor cells. Maia's project looks at how a specific part of the immune system, natural killer cells, would react with these cells post-transplantation.

Emily Gross is a junior from Indianola, Iowa majoring in Integrative Physiology. Since the fall of 2010, she has been involved in research with the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics under the mentorship of Dr. Jessica Moreland. Her lab studies inflammatory processes, specifically how neutrophils (a type of leukocyte) mediate the inflammatory response. Emily’s project focuses on regulation of neutrophil priming and activation in chronic inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease. Following matriculation, Emily plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a physician-scientist. When not in the lab, Emily enjoys running, playing the flute,  and spending time with friends and family.

Katie Hummels is a junior Microbiology and Studio Art double major.  She is currently working in Dr. John Kirby’s lab as an American Society of Microbiology and ICRU fellow.  The Kirby lab studies the various and complex pathways that the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus uses to sense and respond to it’s environment. Katie’s project is focused on understanding how differences in these pathways lead to the differences seen in two phenotypically dissimilar “wildtype” strains.  Specifically, she is researching a pathway involved in predation, a process in which M. xanthus “eats” prey colonies. After graduation, Katie plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in research while maintaining a love of ceramics and other artistic pursuits.