North Dakota IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence
University of North Dakota - School of Medicine & Health Sciences
1301 N. Columbia Road, Stop 9037 - Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037
Telephone: (701) 777-6376 - Fax: (701) 777-6372
NDINBRE Supported By
Institutional Development Award (IDeA)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
National Institutes of Health
Pfizer SOT Undergraduate Student Travel Award Danielle Germundson
Danielle Germundson, a UND undergraduate student performing research in the laboratory of Assistant Professor Kumi Combs, PhD, in the Department of pathology, has been awarded a Pfizer Society of Toxicology Undergraduate Student Travel Award to attend the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) in Baltimore, Maryland, March 12-16.
In addition, Germundson will also present her poster on research performed as part of the UND SMHS Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Her presentation is titled “Food Allergen-Induced Behavioral Abnormality is Correlated with Mast Cell Accumulation and Glial Cell Activation in the Murine Central Nervous System.” Germundson’s research was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103442.
Danyelle Osowski receives Pfizer SOT Undergraduate Student Travel Award
Danyelle Osowski, a UND undergraduate student performing research in the laboratory of Associate Professor Jane Dunlevy, PhD, in the Department of Basic Sciences, has been awarded a Pfizer Society of Toxicology Undergraduate Student Travel Award to attend the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Osowski will also present her poster on research performed as part of the UND SMHS Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Her presentation is titled “Increased Expression of CD44 in Cadmium and Arsenite Transformed UROtsa Cells.” Osowski’s research was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103442.
Undergraduates Win Poster Awards at 36th Annual Frank Lowe Research Day.
Brooke Freeberg and Danielle Germundson won Best Student Poster awards at the Frank Lowe Research Day held at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences on April 7, 2016. Both students are funded by ND INBRE.
Brooke Freeberg (1st place), working with Dr. Cristina Oancea (Population Health), examined the role of faith or spirituality on the association between cancer pain and depression among adult cancer survivors. Findings emphasized the importance of faith/spirituality in helping mitigate the association between cancer pain and depression. Brooke is a senior Biology major who will begin graduate school this fall to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical and Translational Sciences with an Emphasis in Disease pathology.
Germundson’s (2nd place) research with Dr. Kumi Combs (pathology), utilized a milk allergy mouse model to investigate the function of mast calls as mediators of immune-nervous system connection. Germundson is a sophomore Medical Laboratory Science major at UND and plans to pursue a Master’s degree in the field.
Van Gieson garners Graduate Student Travel Award from the Society of Toxicology
Jamie Van Gieson, a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Seema Somji of the Department of pathology, has been awarded a Graduate Student Travel Award from the Society of Toxicology (SOT). This award provides support for Van Gieson to attend the 55th Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology in New Orleans, Louisiana, from March 13 to 17 of 2016.
Among the events specifically targeted to graduate students is the Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Fellow Mixer and the Graduate Student In Vitro Lecture and Luncheon sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive. She is also invited to participate in the SOT “Chat with an Expert” program held throughout the annual meeting and “Tox Show Down,” sponsored by the Graduate Student Leadership Committee.
In addition, Van Gieson will also present her poster on research performed as part of her PhD program at UND. Her presentation is titled “Role of Anterior Gradient 2 in a MCF-10A Cell Model of Arsenic Induced Breast Cancer.” Van Gieson’s research was partially supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant number P20GM103442.
Broadcom MASTERS Semifinalist Announcement
Congratulations Alyssa Kemp!
You have been selected as a semifinalist in the 2015 Broadcom MASTERS®, a program of Society for Science & the Public. This honor places you among a select group of 300 semifinalists named from more than 6,000 nominees throughout the United States. It is a well-earned distinction of which you can be very proud.
In honor of your 2015 semifinalist status, you will receive a package in the mail in the next two weeks containing a Certificate of Recognition, a Broadcom MASTERS semifinalist ribbon, a Broadcom MASTERS drawstring backpack, a Broadcom MASTERS decal, and information regarding your family digital subscription to Science News Magazine and your one year subscription to Mathematica+ software courtesy of our partners at Wolfram Research. You will receive separate emails next week with instructions to help you register and receive these digital awards. In addition, the teacher listed on your application will receive a set of Sally Ride Career Books for the classroom and a Broadcom MASTERS reusable grocery tote.
To see your name among a complete list of the 2015 Broadcom MASTERS semifinalists, please visit https://student.societyforscience.org/broadcom-masters-2015-semifinalists.
Also, we are creating a slide show of the 2015 Broadcom MASTERS semifinalists. Semifinalists must email a yearbook photo or headshot, and a photo of you with your science project board, to masters@societyforscience.org by August 28.
The next step in the Broadcom MASTERS takes place on September 2nd at noon ET, when 30 finalists will be announced from the 300 semifinalists.
Again, congratulations on your recognition as one of 300 national Broadcom MASTERS semifinalists. We wish you continued success and hope that you will pursue your studies in science and math throughout high school and beyond. As a Broadcom MASTERS semifinalist, you have already proven your ability to succeed in these subjects, which will lead you to an exciting career in any field.
Sincerely,
Allie Stifel
Broadcom MASTERS Program Manager
Posters on the Hill 2015 with Congressman Kevin Cramer, Senator John Hoeven and Senator Heidi Heitkamp
Kaylee Dockter, an undergraduate in Dr. Mikhail Bobylev’s lab (Minot State University), was selected as a winner in a national competition to participate in the POSTERS ON THE HILL event sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). Kaylee was one of the 60 undergraduate students from the entire nation who presented their research to the members of the United State Congress on April 23, 2015. This is the fifth time that a student from Dr. Bobylev’s lab has been selected for this honor. The previous winners from the Bobylev lab include Kowan O’Keefe (2014), Braden Burckhard (2013), Zane Young (2010), and Steven Lewis (2009).
The students and their research advisors spent nearly the entire day of April 23, 2015, in the US Capitol. The program of the visit included the meetings with the home state Senators and Representatives. Ms. Dockter and Dr. Bobylev met with US Senator John Hoeven and his staff, with US Senator Heidi Heitkamp and her staff, and with US Representative Kevin Cramer and his staff.
At the poster session, Ms. Dockter and Dr. Bobylev also met with Dr. Krishan Arora, Program Director at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Past Student Awards
Minot State University student, Jordan Torgunrud, presents at CUR Posters on the Hill
Dr. Mikhail Bobylev accompanied Jordan Torgunrud, INBRE student researcher, to the annual Posters on the Hill event sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) and the American Chemical Society (ACS). Jordan was one of 60 students who presented their research to members of Congress, April 17-18, 2018. Her project in the Chemistry Division was titled, “Scalable Synthesis of Novel Cancer-Preventing Agents”.
Jordan Torgunrud and Dr. Bobylev met with Dr. W. Fred Taylor, acting director of the Division for Research Capacity Building, and Dr. Jon R. Lorsch, the NIGMS Director. They also met with Dr. Krishan Arora, the INBRE Program Director.
Previous presenters at Posters on the Hill from the Bobylev lab include: Jin Hee Choi (2016), Kaylee Dockter (2015), Kowan O’Keefe (2014), Braden Burckhard (2013), Zane Young (2010) and Steven Lewis (2009).
“CUR, in collaboration with ACS, hosts the annual Posters on the Hill event to showcase the work of undergraduate researchers from across the country. The event is highly selective—institutions’ most talented researchers are judged by a national panel of experts in their fields, and only the best teams are chosen for the poster session on Capitol Hill. These undergraduates share their research with Members of Congress, congressional staff, federal government officials, academics, and others, demonstrating the value of federal investment in undergraduate research.” CUR website
Building biomedical research capacity in North Dakota
by serving public universities and tribal colleges within the state
Minot State University student, Tess Skinner, presents at CUR Posters on the Hill
Tess Skinner and Dr. Bobylev with Senator John Hoeven
Graduate Students Win Awards at Graduate Research Achievement Day
March 4, 2021 Danielle Germundson and Sonalika Singhal, graduate students in Clinical & Translational Sciences at UND, won 1st and 3rd place, respectively, at UND’s virtual Graduate Research Achievement Day (GRAD). Germundson’s presentation was entitled “Food for thought: Brain pathology changes in a mouse model of mild milk allergy” and Singhal gave a poster called “Bladder Cancer risk prediction model for human exposed to arsenic: Gene expression analysis.” See full article.
Danielle Germundson (graduate student) and Sarmad Al-Marsoummi (post-doctoral fellow) won Best Poster Awards in their respective categories at the 2022 UNDSMHS Frank Low Research Day. Germundson’s presentation was entitled “Involvement of histamine in depression-like behavior in a mouse model of non-anaphylactic cow’s milk allergy.” Al-Marsoummi’s presentation was on “Schlafen 12 induces luminal differentiation of Arsenite (As3+) transformed UROtsa cells.”
Frank Low Research Day Poster Winners