Three chemistry students presented research studies today on a variety of topics.
Tara Alyse Williams presented “Aspects of Polyamines and a Potential Inhibitor for Spermidine Synthase“. This presentation described how excess levels of polyamines correlate to cancerous cells, provided a look into the meta-bolic pathway of polyamines and proposed the synthesis of a new inhibitor in hopes to suppress the creation of cancerous cells.
Danni McMahan presented on “Pathology of a Spinal Cord Injury and Possible Treatment Strategies“. This presentation introduced the audience to an over view of the central nervous system, what occurs during a spinal cord injury and the biochemical processes of a spinal cord injury. She concluded by describing three major types of therapies used to treat spinal cord injuries: stem cells, pharmacology, and activity-based recovery.
Nathan Worley concluded the symposium with his presentation on “Synthesis and Characterization of Metal Complexes for their use in Photodynamic Therapy as a Form of Cancer Treatment“. Nathan worked on developing and determining the effectiveness of ruthenium and chromium compounds for use in Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). PDT is a cancer treatment that destroys oxygen-deficient tumors by breaking apart the DNA ladder.
All of the students fielded questions from the audience and stimulated some good discussion on each topic. Danni and Tara have both been accepted into the TTU School of Pharmacy, and Nathan is waiting to hear from medical school and graduate schools in health care administration. We wish all of these outstanding students the best!
Dr. Gary Wilson, Professor of Biology, was recognized for his many years of service and academic excellence at graduation ceremonies this past weekend.