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Student Research Programs Continue to Draw Strong Interest
Penn Dental Medicine’s strong commitment to research continues to attract the interest of students through the School’s long-standing Summer Research Program, and now, through the recently introduced Research Honors Program as well. This summer marked the 31st year of the Summer Research Program, which teams student researchers with a faculty preceptor of their choice to work full-time on a research project during the months of July and August. “This was an exceptional year for the summer program,” says Dr. Joseph DiRienzo, Assistant Dean for Student Research. “We had outstanding applicants. The interest and intensity level of the students, as well as their preceptors, was at an all-time high as we began to incorporate the first Honors in Research participants.” Among the 27 students in this summer’s program, there were three incoming freshmen participating as part of the Honors in Research Program, which they opted to pursue at the time of their admission. The degree honors program, which enables students to earn their DMD with honors in research, clinical care, or community health, was introduced last year, but this is the first academic year the Honors in Research Program was an option for incoming students. Their participation in the Summer Research Program is just part of their Research Honors requirement. “The research opportunities at Penn Dental certainly influenced my decision to matriculate. I had been involved with chemistry research since my undergraduate freshman year, and it became a major passion of mine,” says Prescott McWilliams (D'15), one of the Research Honors students participating in the Summer Research Program, who worked in the lab of 12 on campus: news
Dr. Ellis Golub, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, studying the properties of matrix vesicles. “Of the many highlights this summer, the most significant was confirming some successes of my research using instruments and resources across the Penn network to conduct my research in ways that I couldn't have imagined a year ago.” The availability of extensive research opportunities at the School also attracted first-year Honors student Chris Kim (D’15), who worked as an engineer in the As the first place winner in the School’s 2011 Oral Health Fair biotech industry before and Table Clinic, Sara Shah (D’13), above, represented Penn coming to Penn Dental Dental Medicine at the ADA/Dentsply Student Clinician Medicine. “This summer Research Program, held during the 2011 ADA Annual Session this October. She presented her project from last year’s I was able to extend my Summer Research Program — Biomimetic Calcium Silicate knowledge in fracture Support Differentiation of Human Orofacial Bone Marrow mechanics and dental Stromal Cells, with preceptor, Dr. Sunday Akintoye. The other materials,” says Kim, Table Clinic winners included: 2nd place —Tu-Anh Vu (D’13), Anti Kaposi's Sarcoma Associated Herpes virus Activity of who worked in the Topoisomerase II Inhibitors: Merbarone and Etoposide, with dental materials lab of preceptor Dr. Yan Yuan (she will represent Penn Dental Dr. Francis Mante, Medicine at the Hinman Meeting in Nashville this November); Associate Professor, 3rd place — Monjir Bakshi (D’13), ER Chaperone GRP94 Depletion Modulates IGF-I Secretion in Skeletal Muscle, with Department of preceptor Dr. Elisabeth Barton; and for the community oral Preventive & Restorative health Bridging the Gaps program, Deep Shah (D’13). Sciences. “I am currently designing new experimental procedures to goals,” adds Matt Paradisgarten (D’15), measure fracture toughness of biomaterial the third, first-year Honors student in interface. I am so glad that I can fully utithe Summer Research Program, who lize my background to conduct a research worked with Dr. Gary Cohen, Professor, project that is strongly intertwined with Department of Microbiology. “As a the principles of engineering.” new student to the School, a highlight “The program is the perfect way to of the summer experience was meeting figure out if I would like to incorporate fellow students in the Summer research into my long-term career