Three University Honors College students awarded UAA's first NCMR scholarship grants

By: Staff Aug 12, 2009

Students' undergraduate research projects give them an edge

ANCHORAGE, AK – Three University Honors College students were recently awarded UAA’s first National Consortium for Measurement and Signature Intelligence Research (NCMR) scholarship grants, disbursed by the National Science Foundation. All three students are seniors majoring in biological sciences and are members of the University Honors College. The students will each receive a $10,000 scholarship to cover tuition, books and living expenses.

Each student was selected in part because of his or her significant undergraduate research experiences at UAA. "Undergraduate research is a proven and powerful way to foster student success and it provides the competitive edge students need to attain their career goals,” said Ronald Spatz, dean of the University Honors College. “We are very proud of the student/faculty partnerships that are being forged and expanded at UAA."

Below is a brief summary of each student’s current research and related accomplishments. Also included is the name of the student’s faculty mentor.

Alex Bonnecaze is the recipient of a 2008-09 UAA Alaska

Heart Institute Fellowship. His current research focuses on “The Role of Leucine and Branched Chain Amino Acids in Regulating Protein Synthesis in Myotubes.” Bonnecaze is mentored by Tim Hinterberger, an associate professor in the Alaska WWAMI Biomedical Program.

Carly Craig won a UAA undergraduate research grant and is

currently working on her research project, “Testing the role of ISWI in Xenopus laevis development with a dominant negative ISWI mutant.” In the summer of 2008, Craig completed a National Institutes of Health Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research in the Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis. Craig is mentored by Jocelyn Krebs, a biological sciences associate professor.

Deana Glick is the recipient of a 2009 Truman Scholarship.

She also won a UAA undergraduate research grant. Her current research focuses on, “The Effects of Benzene and Its Metabolites on Epithelial Lung Cells.” Glick received a commendation for her volunteer work with Alaska Sparx, a program that encourages health care students and future professionals to pursue practice in medically underserved communities in Alaska. Glick is mentored by Cindy Knall, an assistant professor in the Alaska WWAMI Biomedical Program.