FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APS Contacts
Christine Guilfoy
(301) 634-7253
(978) 290-2400
cguilfoy@the-aps.org
12 Undergraduate
Researchers Compete For American Physiological Society David S. Bruce Awards
At Experimental Biology 2006
BETHESDA, MD (April, 2006) – Think undergraduate
competition, and the NCAA “March Madness” basketball tournament, or the
football bowl games, pop to mind.
In fact, there are competitions that highlight the
academic abilities of undergraduates and spur these students to even greater
academic heights. Take the third annual David S. Bruce Undergraduate
Research Awards, for instance. These awards, sponsored by The American
Physiological Society (APS), recognize excellence in undergraduate research.
The competition this year attracted 29 high-level
applicants from all over the world. APS pared down to 12 talented finalists
who will present their research at the Experimental Biology 2006 (EB)
conference April 1-5 in San Francisco.
Four students will be chosen from among the finalists
to receive the Bruce awards, which carry a $500 award. The finalists for the
2006 David S. Bruce award are:
- Bates College – Kate Russell and Julia Simons
- Colorado State University – Jon Gonzales
- Oberlin College/Vanderbilt University – Manasi
Bhate
- Michigan State University – Jennifer Edwards
- Radford University – Marissa Smith
- Tulane University – Mary McCarty
- University of Calgary – Carol Chan
- University of Maryland/Tripler Army Medical Center –
Adrian Feijoo
- University of Missouri – David Ingram
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte – Robert
Overton
- Williams College – Gillian Sowden
The final awards will be presented at EB at the end of
the Sunday, April 2 undergraduate poster session. To be eligible for a Bruce
award, undergraduate students must:
-
be the first author of a research study
-
carry out the bulk of the experiment themselves
-
submit an abstract of the study for EB
-
submit a letter explaining the study and its significance
-
have an interest in pursuing a career in a physiology, or a
related field, including a biomedical career
The finalists were chosen based on their abstracts and
letters. At the final competition, students present their research at poster
sessions and to APS judges. The judges will consider the
-
clarity of the student’s research hypothesis
-
soundness of the experimental design
-
quality and organization of the poster, including graphics
-
coherence and creativity of the presentation
-
uniqueness of the research
The award is named for David S. Bruce, a Wheaton
College (Wheaton, IL) physiology professor who was dedicated to encouraging
undergraduates to become involved in scientific research and pursue science
careers. Bruce attended the Experimental Biology conference each year,
usually with a student who presented his or her research during the poster
session.
Bruce was active in APS, where he served as chairman of
the Teaching Section. He died in 2000 of complications following a kidney
transplant.
Experimental Biology 2006, to be held at the Moscone
Convention Center, is expected to attract 12,000 scientists and exhibitors.
In addition to APS, the scientific societies participating in EB are the
American Association of Anatomists, American Society for Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology, American Society for Investigative Pathology, American
Society for Nutritional Sciences, American Society for Pharmacology and
Experimental Therapeutics.
* * *
The
American Physiological Society was founded in 1887 to foster basic and
applied bioscience. The Bethesda, Maryland-based society has more than
10,000 members and publishes 14 peer-reviewed journals containing almost
4,000 articles annually.
* * *
APS
provides a wide range of research, educational and career support and
programming to further the contributions of physiology to understanding the
mechanisms of diseased and healthy states. In May 2004, APS received
the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science,
Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
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