Three OSU students selected to present research at state capitol
Friday, April 10, 2020
Three students from Oklahoma State University (OSU) were selected to present their research at the 25th Annual Research Day at the Capitol event in Oklahoma City.
They were among 22 students from around the state who were asked to present their research to the state legislature. Unfortunately, due to the global COVID-19 situation, the event was canceled.
The OSU students scheduled to present were Ashlea Sartin, a chemical engineering senior in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology; Jonathan Derouen, a senior studying microbiology and Sergio Mares, a biochemistry sophomore, both from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Sartin’s research includes the study of the effects of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) on key mesangial cells in the kidneys, which hinder the organ’s ability to filter waste and excess water out of the blood stream. Sartin believes that a better understanding of the effects on mesangial cells would allow for better treatment approaches that could greatly impact DKD patients’ lives.
Derouen is researching Chlamydia trachomatis, which causes chlamydia, the most commonly reported STI in the U.S. He has found that C. trachomatis actively manipulates a particular protein within a cell, Protein Kinase A (PKA), which he believes might also be linked to an increased possibility of cervical cancer.
Mares is studying the sequence conservation of the key bacterial agent of cystic fibrosis lung infections, pseudomonas aeruginosa (P.aeruginosa) as it pertains to creating calcium ions, which are used to signal the presence of infections. Mares hopes that identifying sequence conservation across multiple cases of CF could aid in the understanding and treatment of the disease.
Research Day was established to showcase the amazing undergraduate research being conducted across the state in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The event is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Oklahoma Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (OK EPSCoR) and the National Science Foundation.
RELEASE CONTACT: Jeff Hopper | CEAT Marketing | 405-744-2745 | jeff.hopper@okstate.edu