Seven Cal Poly Pomona students on three research teams won first place awards at the 33rd Annual CSU systemwide Student Research Competition. Approximately 275 student researchers from 22 CSU campuses attended the event at Cal State Fullerton on April 26 & 27.
Biological and Agricultural Sciences, Graduate
Graduate student Janam Dave won first place for his project, "Efficacy Of Intravenous Vs. Aerosol Ambisome Therapy For Murine Pulmonary Aspergillosis." He and faculty mentor Jill Adler-Moore, professor of biological sciences, developed an aerosol delivery system for the antifungal drug, AmBisome (AmBi) and evaluated its efficacy in mice.
According to the abstract, "In immunocompromised patients, Aspergillus pneumonia causes 50-90% mortality in untreated patients and 50% mortality even with treatment, indicating the need for improved therapy.
Biological and Agricultural Sciences, Undergraduate
Sarah Caballero took first place for her research on the "Impact of Protein Type And Maillard Conjugation On Nanoemulsion Formation And Stability" with Food Science Professor Gabriel Davidov-Pardo.
According to the abstract, "Due to the intrinsic immiscibility of oil and water, emulsifiers such as proteins are essential to create stable emulsions. There is a growing interest in using legume proteins, due to their sustainability and allergen-free label."
Her research work "demonstrate[ed] the potential of Maillard conjugates of pea protein to create stable nanoemulsions."
Engineering and Computer Science, Undergraduate
The research team of Gerardo Maldonado, Garrison Kanazawa, Stuart Geyer, Minna Mattis and Jonathan Hai won first place for their work on the "Potential Repurposing Of Reverse Osmosis Concentrate For Energy Applications" with Reza Lakeh, professor of mechanical engineering.
From the abstract: "Reverse osmosis (RO) is widely used as a water treatment technique for the desalination of seawater and surface water. The RO process splits the feedwater into potable water and an undesired byproduct, i.e. reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC). Current ROC disposal methods include surface seawater discharge, sewer discharge, and deep well injections. Disposing of ROC is harmful to the environment due to the high salt content, chlorines, biocides, metals, and coagulants the water contains.… In this project, ROC…was tested and was found to offer a wide range of properties that are desired in energy storage applications. The extraction of the minerals and salts can become useful in offsetting disposal costs while offering a solution for an inexpensive energy storage system."
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Also representing the university at competition were five other teams selected from the more than 200 student projects that were showcased during the Cal Poly Pomona 7th annual Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Conference. They were:
- Student Genesis Gonzalez. "Self-Represented Litigants in the Courtroom." Faculty mentor Associate Professor of Political Science Mario Gonzalez.
- Student Jeyashree Alagarsamy. "Biolfilm Formation on Human Prosthetic Metal Alloys." Faculty mentors Professor of Biological Sciences Steve Alas and Professor of Engineering Vilupanur Ravi.
- Students Michael Tran, Long Yu, Josh Tessler, Melinda Hovsepian, Kat Cabula, Marissa Aronson, Amelia Kaufman, Sophia Lin and Ilka Bradvica. "Tom Flaherty's "Time's Up" for Piano Ensemble (2018)." Faculty mentor Professor of Music Nadia Shpachecnko
- Student Grazziela Sena. "Corrosion Susceptibility of Metallic Alloys Used in heart valve Frames." Faculty mentor Professor of Engineering Vilanapur Ravi.
- Students Samuel Navarrete, Steven Pierce, Dominic Dinh and Nick Ury. "High Temperature Corrosion of High Entropy Alloys." Faculty mentor Professor of Engineering Vilanapur Ravi.
Cal Poly Pomona is one of only two polytechnic universities in California, and undergraduate research plays an important part of the university's hands-on learning teaching philosophy. Throughout the curriculum, faculty weave technology and the application of knowledge into academic programs, bringing classroom concepts to life. The university has approximately 26,000 students and is ranked among the best in the nation for helping students achieve economic success.
For more information about undergraduate research, student research activities and programs at Cal Poly Pomona, visit the Office of Undergraduate Research website.