Press release
Summer research experience motivates Rutgers-Camden students to study even harder this fall
September 8, 2006
CONTACT: Cathy Donovan, Rutgers-Camden communications office, (856) 225-6627, catkarm@camden.rutgers.edu
For Immediate Release
CAMDEN – Science took a back seat to sun and surf this summer for two Rutgers University—Camden students who presented their research at an international conference in California.
Thanks to the Rutgers-Camden Arts and Sciences Dean’s Travel Fund, Tej Nuthulaganti and Farhad Modarai traveled to the University of California-Berkeley to attend the first annual Integrating Evolution, Development and Genomics Conference. Both received $500 travel grants to present their findings at this conference for evolution and development researchers from around the world.
According to Nuthulaganti , the Rutgers-Camden student team held a unique position at the conference: “We found out that we were the only undergraduate students present among doctoral students, post-doctoral students, and professors from all over the country,” he says.
“The Arts and Sciences Dean’s Travel Fund allows student researchers to invest more fully in their own work and formally share their findings with leaders in the fields they aim to pursue,” says Margaret Marsh, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers-Camden.
“I made many good networking connections at the conference and even got useful advice on my own research, some of which I’ll utilize. Overall, the conference gave me a competitive edge in my field,” says Modarai.
Nuthulaganti and Modarai, both 2003 graduates of Highland High School, are enrolled in the five-year combined bachelor and master degree program in biology at Rutgers-Camden. Camden resident Nuthulaganti will earn his undergraduate degree in December; next year, he’ll receive his master’s degree. Modarai, a Gloucester Township resident, will earn his master’s degree next spring.
During the past year, the two student researchers have worked with Dr. Daniel Shain, an associate professor of biology at Rutgers-Camden. They are furthering research originally established by Rutgers-Camden students who have since entered doctoral programs. Nuthulaganti is working to identify key genes that are pivotal in the stem cell formation in the leech. Modarai seeks to characterize the process of cellular and anatomical regeneration in the California blackworm.
According to Nancy Rosoff, associate dean of arts and sciences at Rutgers-Camden, nine Rutgers-Camden undergraduates received grants to support their research and 18 undergraduate and graduate students received grants to support travel to conferences during 2006.
To hear a podcast of Nuthulaganti discussing his research with Shain, visit http://crab.rutgers.edu/~raemmons/UMRC/A%26Sresearch_podcasts.htm.
