Biology Students Attend Research Symposium and Receive Roche Research Grant

Several students from Science Professor Agnes Berki’s Biology Research course attended the 16th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences at University of Maryland Baltimore County on Oct. 26. “This was a great opportunity for our students to learn about research conducted by peers at different institutions. It also served as an inspiration and helped them to better understand their own role to scientific research,” Berki said.

Two of the students, Candice Johnson and Albert Mensah, were recipients of an Independent College Fund of New Jersey Undergraduate Research Symposium Grant funded by Roche Foundation and the Council of Independent Colleges. The grant is designed to inspire students to pursue their interests and to reinforce learning through hands-on and inquiry-based science activities. With the guidance of Professor Berki, who is their faculty advisor, they are spending the academic year researching new toothpaste and tooth powder formulations for efficacy in prevention of dental plaque formation.

Assisting Johnson and Mensah are students Aaron Choi, Jaimie Peter and Kristen Knorr. Alumnus Anup Khanal ’13 is the teaching assistant. Johnson and Mensah will present their findings to peers and research professionals in March at the ICFNJ Undergraduate Research Symposium.