The NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) awarded three research scholarships to students in Drake University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS). First-year student pharmacist Anna Braun, second-year student pharmacist Ali Goldensoph, and junior health sciences student Anna Parr were three of 18 students in Iowa to receive these competitive scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year. Each scholarship carries an award of $5,000 to be split between two academic semesters.
Students researchers are required to be in a STEM program that supports NASA’s mission, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, and complete a year-long research project. Awardees are also required to present their research at the ISGC Student Research Symposium in 2022.
Parr, Braun, and Goldensoph will complete the following research projects:
- Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Muscle Function and Cardiorespiratory Fitness – Anna Parr mentored by Kim Huey
- Understanding the role of B-Raf protein in DNA double strand break repair – Anna Braun mentored by Pramod Mahajan
- Chromatographic Separation and MS Identification of Active Peptides in Sample M – Ali Goldensoph mentored by Abebe Mengesha
The CPHS fosters a culture of research among undergraduate and graduate students. With a faculty of diverse specialties and a strong passion for mentoring, the College affords many opportunities for students to get involved in research. Students can begin research as early as their first year at Drake and it can be lab-based or related to direct patient care. These projects often lead to student co-authors for abstracts and other publications, and students often showcase their work at campus, regional, and national meetings and conferences.
