Ella Martel '27, McNair Scholar, wins oral presentation award at local conference
Ella Martel '27, a junior biomedical sciences major, recently participated in the Research and Posters Showcase at nearby Clarkson University and won best undergraduate oral presentation in the Biomedical and Health Sciences category.
Ella’s research participation was funded through the federal Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program which included an eight-week summer research internship with a faculty mentor. This summer, Ella worked with Dr. Ana Estevez, Dana Professor of Neuroscience, investigating whether modified cerium oxide nanoparticles were neuroprotective in a cell-culture model of oxidative stress.
This was Ella’s first time conducting scientific research and she was very excited to present her findings. “Participating in the summer Research and Posters Showcase was an incredibly valuable and educational experience for me. It was interesting to hear similar research to mine as well as projects from completely differing fields of study” she said.
The goal of the St. Lawrence University McNair Scholars Program is to increase the attainment of the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree by promising students. Named for Dr. Ronald E. McNair, an astronaut who died in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle explosion, the program was launched by Congress in 1989 and exists at 187 colleges and universities across the United States and Puerto Rico.