2015 Graduate Student Research Day

Two hundred student researchers from both graduate and undergraduate programs packed the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 to compete in the 2015 Graduate Student Research Day poster presentation competition.

The 200 posters covered topics from nearly every college and featured research on everything from soil management to stroke prevention. More than 100 judges wandered the two sessions (morning and afternoon), listening to research pitches and evaluating posters for clarity and visual excellence. The day also saw dozens of attendees who came to find out more about research or to support competitors.

The day featured a speech during the lunch break by UF President Dr. W. Kent Fuchs on his vision for research and establishing UF as a national leader and voice for higher education. While final scores were being brought in and sorted, four senior graduate students (Jacqueline Branyon, Catherine Case, Michael Rowin, and Colleen Jeffrey-Cole) held a panel titled “What I Wish I Knew” on what they have learned over the course of their graduate education.

The winners of the 2015 Graduate Student Research Day were:

Ghadeer Dawwas: First Place in the graduate student category for research titled “Type II Diabetes and Related Risk Factors: An Analysis at the State Level in the United States.”

Douglas Bennion: Second Place in the graduate student category for research titled “Human Serum ACE2 Activity in Ischemic Stroke: a Moving Target for Translational Treatments.”

Mohamed Solayman: Third Place in the graduate student category for research titled “Association of Plasma MicroRNA with Antihypertensive Response to Beta Blockers.”

Alex Dang: First Place in the undergraduate student category for research titled “Neuroprotection in Ischemic Stroke by Activation of Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptors: an Innovative Approach.”