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J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding STAR Participant

Recognizing exceptional contributions to the STAR program, outstanding research accomplishments, and exceptional potential in biomedical research.

At the end of each summer STAR session, one STAR participant is selected as the recipient of the Outstanding STAR Student Award honoring outstanding undergraduate research and recognizing overall scientific potential. 

This $150 award is sponsored by Dr. Charles Eldridge, a grateful alumnus of the Medical College of Georgia, School of Graduate Studies. Dr. Eldridge had been sponsoring the award anonymously since 2003.  In 2005 he established an endowment fund to sustain and promote this award with the hope of providing encouragement for young undergraduate students to prepare for careers in academic teaching and research.  He believes that the STAR program is a "valuable way for energetic young people to experience the excitement of research in a safe way, while learning if that world is calling them."  The intent of the award is to recognize an undergraduate with exceptional potential as a biomedical researcher and a committed interest in pursuing continued education and training in biomedical research. 

The selection of winners is based upon:

• Letter of nomination by the STAR mentor

• Research accomplishments as assessed by the participant's mentor and as evaluated by a judging committee of the participant's research paper and oral presentation (STAR 2003, 2004) or by the participant's poster and poster presentation (STAR 2005-2009).

• Contributions and interactions during STAR workshops and events.  

For exceptional participation in the STAR program and outstanding accomplishments in biomedical research it is a true honor and privilege to present this prestigious award to deserving STAR participants each year.

Award Winners

Summer 2009 Recipient of the J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding STAR Participant

Tiffany Pham (Boston College)

STAR Mentor: John K Cowell Ph.D,  D.Sc., FRCPath, Professor and Associate Center Director for Basic Sciences at MCG’s Cancer Center

STAR Poster Title: Leptin, Glucose and Insulin: Exploring the Role of LGI1 in Obesity

  

  

   Sincere congratulations to Ms. Tiffany Pham for being selected as a well deserving recipient of the 2009 J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding Summer STAR Participant.  Tiffany’s sweet, joyful nature made her a popular STAR friend– her interest, dedication, talent and work ethic drove her to success in the lab. 

   Under the mentorship of Dr. Cowell, she worked with a knock out mouse model his lab had created for the LGI1 gene, which is related to epilepsy and brain tumor metastasis but heterozygotes for these mice develop obesity after 6-9 months.  The purpose of her study was to explore the effect of LGI1 on   obesity and late-onset disease.  She used RT-PCR to independently confirm individual   genes were up- and down regulated by Affymetrix GeneChip analysis. To delve deeper   into the mechanism Tiffany performed Eliza assays to measure serum insulin and leptin  levels  and also performed a bioinformatics survey. As a result of the bioinformatics  analysis  a new theory for the obesity in  this model was developed which she began to  test through additional assays and Western  blotting techniques.  As a result it appears  that  insulin and leptin resistance is a consequence  of heterozygous loss of the LGI1 gene.  Tiffany’s results provided essential information for the Cowell lab to continue forward with  this new working hypothesis, have laid the foundation  for  future grant proposals, and  have been used to establish collaborations with other  laboratories.

  Tiffany was very considerate and pleasant to work with – she easily fit into the lab and was well liked and respected by her lab and STAR colleagues. Dr. Cowell notes that “she was excited about the project especially when the results pointed to an explanation for the obesity. She could make decisions herself about where to go with her research within the limits of her knowledge. Tiffany was constantly reviewing the literature to support her hypotheses, kept meticulous notes, worked often into the evening and arrived early in the morning, and showed excellent time management in the efficiency of her experimental planning and execution to allow her to succeed in the project.”  Overall she was driven towards success, was highly dedicated, thoroughly engaged and incredibly enthusiastic about her research.

    It was a true honor and privilege to have Tiffany participate in the summer 2009 STAR program and to name her as the recipient of this very prestigious award of distinction!

Summer 2008 Recipient of the J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding STAR Participant

 Matthew Giddens (University of Alabama)

 STAR Mentor: Dr. Edward Inscho, Professor, Department of Physiology

 STAR Research Project:  Anti-Inflammatory Treatment Preserves Renal Autoregulation in

Ang II- Infused Hypertensive Rats

      We were delighted to honor Mr. Matthew Giddens as the 2008 winner of the Outstanding STAR student award.  Matt is an exceptionally nice young man who was a very hard working STAR and genuinely loved his project, his mentor, working in the lab and his fellow STARs. 

   In his letter of nomination Dr Inscho notes that Matt was a dedicated worker - tackling the monotonous tasks, challenging tasks and exciting tasks with equal enthusiasm.  “Matt is naturally curious with a strong appetite for learning new things. He undertook quite an ambitious project that required him to execute laboratory procedures spanning protein identification to assessment of protein function at the cellular, organ and whole animal levels.”  Undaunted, he learned, developed and utilized whole animal skills, surgical skills, microscopy skills, and molecular biology skills. “Matt's project centered on the  hypothesis that compromised autoregulation in the hypertensive kidney could arise  from hypertension-related inflammatory vents that render the preglomerular  microcirculation dysfunctional. Matt's studies were designed to test the hypothesis that  suppression of inflammatory events would normalize renal autoregulatory behavior  and preglomerular reactivity to P2X1 receptor activation despite persistence of the  hypertensive state.  The data he generated will facilitate a project already underway, be included in an oral presentation that will be presented at the AHA Council for High Blood Pressure Research and be included in a manuscript.”

   Dr. Inscho felt that Matt went above and beyond what might be expected of an undergraduate student entering into their first real laboratory challenge. “My experience with Matt has been outstanding in every way. He has distinguished himself, his institution and the STAR program, by conducting himself with professionalism, honesty and integrity. He is thoughtful and he integrates himself into the laboratory culture with ease and respect for others.”  He is a great person and a great STAR!

 

Summer 2007 Recipient of the J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding STAR Participant

Anna Grove (Lenoir-Rhyne College)

STAR mentor: Dr. Larry Layman, Professor, Molecular Medicine/ Reproductive Medicine

STAR Research Project: NELF Mutations in Patients with Idiopathic Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism  

and Kallmann Syndrome

   Anna, a rising senior at Lenoir-Ryne College concentrated her summer STAR research efforts on confirming mutations in the NELF gene in patients with a central nervous system cause of delayed puberty (Kallmann syndrome/idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism) under the mentorship of Dr. Larry Layman, Professor and Section Chief in The Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics and in The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

   In his letter nomination for Anna, Dr. Layman describes her as an exceptional undergraduate student who was very focused on her project and had a remarkable ability to follow through on all aspects of her work.  Her attitude in lab and throughout the STAR program was exemplary.  She is a very bright and highly motivated young lady who was very easy to get along with; everyone was happy to have her around in the lab and enjoyed working with her.  Anna's warm, kind and pleasant personality made her a very popular friend amongst her STAR peers as well.  Dr. Layman felt "her level of dedication was that of a In his letter nomination for Anna, Dr. Layman describes her as an exceptional undergraduate student who was very focused on her project and had a remarkable ability to follow through on all aspects of her graduate student rather than a college student. It was very clear that she was highly interested in her project."  Her interest and curiosity in science and research extended beyond the lab where she was an enthusiastic participant in all STAR workshops and activities. Right from the start of STAR session, Anna was very serious about her work and was committed to moving her research forward responding well to constructive criticism and working hard to generate optimal, solid data. She mastered a variety of techniques including standard PCR, colony PCR, nested-PCR, RT-PCR, gel electrophoreses, cloning, DNA sequencing, as well as multiple insilico computer analyses of sequence. She confirmed mutations in the NELF gene and performed functional analysis of these mutations by determining their effects upon mRNA splicing. Her weekly lab meeting presentations were thorough, yet concise, and well organized demonstrating her knowledge and understanding of her project, data and area of research. Dr. Layman recognized her remarkable demonstration of outstanding "discipline, which is very necessary in any science career, whether it be graduate or medical school." He feels "Anna is clearly on the path toward a career in science, and she will excel."

Summer 2006 Recipient of the J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding STAR Participant

Victoria Fratto (College of William & Mary)

STAR mentor: Dr. Ellen LeMosy, Professor, Department of CBA

STAR Research Project: Integrin expression in follicle cells of the Drosophila ovary

   Victoria is a good example of what the STAR program is about - someone who had never had research experience before coming to MCG, but who threw herself fully into her research project and the lab culture from Day 1, and who made significant scientific contributions, showed dedication, curiosity, intellectual maturity and integrity in all her work.  Victoria's general project was to characterize the temporal and spatial expression patterns of integrin chains within the follicle cells of the ovary, cells which undergo several migrations and sheet movements likely to be dependent on integrin functions.  She was particularly interested in identifying integrins expressed by follicle cells committed to forming respiratory structures.  Victoria mastered a broad range of techniques including, RNA in situ hybridization of fly ovaries, PCR, restriction enzyme digests, plasmid preps, monoclonal antibody testing, immunofluorescence labeling procedures and learned the basics of confocal microscopy as well.

   As a result of her hard work and dedication, she produced a nearly-complete preliminary story involving novel scientific data of publishable quality.  She consistently strived to learn and understand more about the science of her project, working hard reading relevant journal articles and initiating insightful discussions with her mentor and fellow lab workers to gain skills in interpreting her data and fitting it in with existing knowledge. She applied her understanding of her project and data towards preparing her poster, poster presentation, and in beginning a preliminary draft of a paper for publication.

   Victoria showed a high level of professionalism in the laboratory.  She was punctual, stayed as long as it took to get her experiments done, and worked around the workshop schedule so smoothly that it never interfered with her progress.  She was always on top of her project and ready to discuss it.  Victoria quickly became an integral part of the lab, and was well-liked by everyone in the lab. She demonstrated a willingness to work in a team environment, was cheerful, even-tempered, conscientious with shared equipment, mature and sensitive in her interpersonal interactions, and displayed a good sense of humor.  She also made great cookies to share with the lab!

   Overall Victoria has proven to have many of the essential characteristics of a successful young scientist - self-motivation, intellectual ability, curiosity, ethical character and communication skills.  Congratulations Victoria on all of your hard work and scientific accomplishments during STAR!

Summer 2005 Recipient of the J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding STAR Participant

Andrea Clarke (Erskine College)

STAR mentor: Dr. Edward Inscho, Professor, Department of Physiology

STAR Research Project: Renal Microvascular Response to P2 Receptor Stimulation in Angiotensin II Hypertension with 8% Salt.

   Andrea distinguished herself, her institution, and the STAR program by conducting herself with professionalism, honesty and integrity.  She was diligent in her commitment, reliable in her day-to-day attention to work, pleasantly interactive, and serious about her responsibility to become competent from a hands on perspective.  Andrea was intellectually engaged in the process and rationale for her studies demonstrating outstanding scientific understanding.  She truly enjoyed her work! We believe that Andrea has the ability, the intellect and the natural curiosity to be a successful graduate student as well as an exceptional investigator.  It was with great pleasure that I presented this award of distinction to Ms. Andrea Clarke.

Summer 2005 Recipient of the J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding STAR Participant

Sirikishan Shetty (Georgia Institute of Technology)

STAR Mentor: Dr. Vadivel Ganapathy, Regents' Professor and Chair Department of BMB

STAR Research Project: HIV1-Tat Protein Reduces the Expression of the Serotonin Transporter in the Placenta

   Siri distinguished himself as an extremely motivated and talented individual who made outstanding progress on his project.  He demonstrated an exceptional ability as a quick learner who could perform new and advanced techniques independently with an understanding of the basics behind those techniques.  Siri was enthusiastic about his research, putting in extra hours in the lab to work and to study.  He exhibited a keen interest in learning about science; at the intellectual level and at the level of the bench work.  He got along well with everyone in his lab and the STAR program and was really fun to work with.  We believe that Siri has the talent, professionalism, ability, enthusiasm and drive to be an exceptional biomedical researcher.  It was with great pleasure that I presented this award of distinction to Mr. Siri Shetty.

Summer 2004 Recipient of the J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding STAR Participant

Jessica Marie Martin (Erskine College)

STAR Mentor: Dr. Darren Browning, Assistant Professor, Department of BMB

STAR Research Project: The Role of Protein Kinase G in the Regulation of Anoikis in Colon Carcinoma Cells

   In nominating Jessica for this award Dr. Browning stated that she was an integral part of his laboratory research team.  Faced with the challenges of biomedical research Jessica rose to accomplish the task at hand-at the intellectual level and at the level of the bench work.  In addition to her marked enthusiasm, the quality of Jessica's work greatly exceeded Dr. Browning's expectations.  Jessica was extremely motivated and a quick learner who displayed a great work ethic.  She was dedicated to her project and lab responsibilities and displayed a sincere interest in her work.  Her research talents and accomplishments were apparent in her well-written paper and polished, professional oral presentation.  Throughout the summer, her warm smile, cheerful disposition, friendly nature and relaxed personality made her popular among her STAR colleagues.  Jessica possesses all of the characteristics that it takes to be successful including: motivation, curiosity, the ability to get along with others and outstanding intelligence.

For exceptional participation in the STAR program and outstanding accomplishments in biomedical research it was a true honor and privilege to have Jessica participate in the summer 2004 STAR program and to name her as the recipient of this prestigious award of distinction! 

Summer 2003 Recipient of the J. Charles Eldridge Award for Outstanding STAR Participant

Melinda Chambless (University of Georgia)

STAR mentor: Dr. Gregory Harshfield, Professor of Pediatrics, Member of GPI, Medical College of Georgia

STAR Research Project: The effect of psychological stress and adiposity on blood pressure and lipid levels in normotensive youth

   In nominating Melinda for this award Dr. Harshfield states that Melissa was an integral part of the laboratory research team from day one.  He thought of her as the "engine" that drove the project.  He said Melinda worked with him to develop the concepts and contributed to the direction of the project.  She was motivated to pursue literature researches, read and study relevant articles and actively engage in relevant discussions with him regarding her project.  Melinda participated in all aspects of the project from communicating with potential subjects, to participating in the actual testing of the subjects, to running the assays to obtain data for her work.  She followed through by learning how to use the database programs as well as learning enough biostatistics to perform her own initial analyses.  Faced with a challenge Melinda rose to accomplish the task at hand-at the intellectual level and at the level of the bench work.   Melinda was extremely motivated and a quick learner who displayed a great work ethic.  She was dedicated to own project and she stayed until the job was completed regardless the time, yet found the time to help others in the lab even if it was outside of their own project.  Her efforts and talents resulted in the submission of an abstract to the Council for High Blood Research Meetings as a first author. We believe that she has all of the characteristics that it takes to be successful including: motivation, curiosity, the ability to get along with others and exceptional intelligence.

Melinda's STAR colleagues looked to her as a leader, a role model and a source of fun.  Some even cited her in the acknowledgement section of their papers.  Everyone considered her a friend.  Melinda was an active participant in the STAR workshops, asking questions, talking to faculty and showing a genuine interest, enthusiasm and curiosity for the diversity of biomedical science that was being presented.  Her outgoing yet warm personality promoted a strong bond of friendship and camaraderie among the STAR students.  She set the standards high with her well-written paper and polished, professional oral presentation.  For exceptional participation in the STAR program and outstanding accomplishments in biomedical research it was a true honor and privilege to name Melinda Chambless, a real "super STAR", as the first recipient of this award of distinction!