In late February, 22 students from the University of Houston-Downtown Department of Natural Sciences traveled to the University of Texas at Tyler for the 129th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science. There, 19 presented on research they conducted with fellow students and UHD faculty, and six Gators won awards across five categories.  

Dr. Anna Crowell, Assistant Professor, Dr. Pablo Delclos, Assistant Professor, Dr. Yuan Yuan Kang, Associate Professor, Dr. Michael Tobin, Professor, and Dr. Adriana Visbal, Assistant Professor, attended the conference and provided support to students throughout the weekend. The trip to Tyler was also made possible by logistics support provided by the College of Sciences and Technology as well as the Scholar’s Academy.  

Three of the award-winning presentations were based on cancer research conducted in the lab of Dr. Rachna Sadana, Biology Professor and Natural Sciences Department Chair: 

  • Maximiliano Perez - Cell and Molecular Biology oral competition – first place – Screening TZ62, TZ70, TZ71 and DKNR8, DKNR10, DKNR13 for Induction of Apoptosis and Inhibition of Metastasis – Dr. Kang’s lab 
  • Tina Prajapati – Biomedical Sciences oral competition – second place - Screening Compounds for Their Anti-Cell Proliferation Properties – Dr. Sadana’s lab 
  • Jiya Desai – Biomedical Sciences poster competition – second place – Screening compounds for their potential to inhibit growth of leukemia cells (Molt-4) – Dr. Sadana’s lab 

Notably, Prajapati took part in the research behind all three of these presentations. 

The other winners from the conference showcased a variety of research being conducted here at the university: 

  • Annie Trinh – Neuroscience poster competition – first place – Investigation of the role of Drosophila gene CG12299 in the circadian controlled locomotive activity in fruit flies – Dr. Kang’s lab 
  • Mary robles – Plant Biology poster competition – second place – “Modest increase in photosynthetic heat tolerance occurs across leaf developmental stages in Johnson Grass (Sorghum halepense) – Dr. Tobin’s lab 
  • Yuliana Santos Ventura – Systematics and Evolutionary Biology poster competition – second place – Comparative study of male aggression of food generalists and specialists in Drosophila species – Dr. Kang’s lab 

Events like the Academy of Science Annual Meeting highlight the influence our faculty have in sparking innovation and building up the next generation of scientists. And by sharing their work with peers, mentors, and the broader academic community, all the attending Gators demonstrated Gator Greatness and contributed to a vibrant exchange of ideas that will hopefully continue to shape their future pursuits. Congratulations to all involved!