Senior Sydney Bankert and sophomore Daniel 阿布拉莫夫 are two of 50 recipients of the Rodney A. 埃里克森发现基金, which provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to participate in research, 奖学金, 在研究导师的帮助下进行创造性的工作.
WYOMISSING,爸爸. — Two 宾州州立银行 students will spend this summer engaged in their respective funded research opportunities. 二年级学生丹尼尔·阿布拉莫夫和大四学生悉尼·班克特获得了 埃里克森发现基金; they are two of 50 who received the grant.
罗德尼A. 埃里克森发现基金项目, 以十大正规赌博平台大全第17任校长的名字命名, provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to participate in research, 在研究导师的帮助下进行奖学金和创造性工作. 拨款是由 十大正规赌博平台大全本科.
阿布拉莫夫, a biochemistry and molecular biology and psychology double-major and dual citizen of Israel and the United States (residing in Brooklyn, 纽约), heard about the 埃里克森发现基金 from a friend when the two were discussing research opportunities on campus.
“开始练习将我的研究正式化, 整理我的数据, and presenting it seemed like it would be a nice opportunity while also getting money to fund my project,他分享道.
His passion for science began in middle school while performing experiments like running 酶化验 测定物质的酶活性或使用 凝胶电泳 to separate biomacromolecules (DNA, RNA or proteins) according to size. 阿布拉莫夫 wants to go on to medical school after finishing his undergraduate degree, he said.
罗瑞拉部落, 化学副教授, 担任阿布拉莫夫研究项目的顾问. 在决定一个话题时, the duo worked together to integrate 阿布拉莫夫’s passion for medicine and biological systems with Tribe’s understanding of computational chemistry.
他的研究, “A Computational Study of the Interaction of Phenylalanine Hydroxylase with Phenylalanine in the Phenylalanine-Tyrosine Pathway,研究了如何 苯丙酮酸尿 (北大), a rare genetic disorder that causes the buildup of phenylalanine, an amino acid, in the body. 北大是由苯丙氨酸羟化酶基因的变化引起的, 是什么产生了分解氨基酸所需的酶.
北大, 神经退行性疾病, 在西班牙系犹太人社区很普遍, 他的父系亲戚来自哪里. 北大的症状包括呼吸中有霉味, skin or urine; skin rashes; neurological problems like seizures; developmental delay; and unusually light skin, 眼睛和头发色素沉着, 举几个例子.
“It turned out to be this interdisciplinary project where we’re using computational theoretical systems to study biological reactions,阿布拉莫夫说. “我们认为研究氨基酸是一种直截了当的方法. 我们试图找到一种不重复已有数据的新方法, 而是要找到一种新的看待它的方式."
阿布拉莫夫说，他的研究是他个人的. It combines his passion for neuroscience and wanting to pursue a career in the medical field. 另外, “它带来了所有这些元素, 所有这些我感兴趣的东西,他补充道.
对于Bankert, 来自汉诺威的运动机能学专业, 宾西法尼亚, 这是她第一次进行研究. 在秋季学期, Praveen Veerabhadrappa, 运动学副教授, approached her about the grant and Bankert decided to give the opportunity a shot.
Bankert’s passion for physical therapy stems from her experience of having physical therapy, 她说, and wanting to give back in the same way that her therapists helped her.
“能够帮助别人, 提高他们的生活质量, and getting them back to doing the things they love to do is very rewarding and is something that I love,”她说。.
The 2022-23 school year was her first year at 宾州州立银行 after transferring from Kutztown University. 尽管只来了一年, Bankert said she has found that making connections with her professors has helped her feel at home.
“我在赌博平台大全的这段时间里. Veerabhadrappa has always encouraged me to push my limits and try things I probably wouldn’t have otherwise done,班克特说.
她的研究, 题为, 物理治疗中的人工智能,研究了科技如何帮助患者进行锻炼. Bankert’s inspiration for her research topic stems from the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased use of fitness apps, 她说.
“The fitness apps kind of gave me an idea of looking at how an exercise program could be incorporated into physical therapy,班克特说.
为了她的项目, she will work at a local physical therapy clinic and recruit patients to participate in the study to test the effectiveness of an app called Exer Health, 这是一个允许用户在家锻炼的运动人工智能平台.
她的研究将持续六个星期. In the first two weeks of the study, patients will maintain their normal exercise routine. Then, during weeks three and four, patients will use the Exer health app to complete their workouts. The final two weeks of the study will have patients return to their exercises without the app. 在整个过程中, Bankert will measure patients’ pain levels and range of motion when they are using the app versus when they are not.
“The results of this research could inform the future of physical therapy," said Bankert. "Finding that AI could be a useful tool in physical therapy might mean that I and other physical therapists could use it with clients and potentially improve their recovery outcomes."
Both students have plans to present their research: 阿布拉莫夫 will travel to San Francisco to the American Chemical Society conference from Aug. 13-17. Bankert will head to University Park to present her research in April 2024.
有关埃里克森发现基金的更多信息，请访问 本科生研究和奖学金指导网站.
