UA Little Rock Students Present Research at Arkansas Capitol

Seven University of Arkansas at Little Rock students had the opportunity to show off their love of research by presenting their projects at the Arkansas State Capitol on Valentine’s Day.

The UA Little Rock students were among the 72 college students from 11 Arkansas colleges and universities who were selected to present their original work as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Posters at the Arkansas State Capitol event.

“This is a great opportunity for students as it shows them the importance of civic engagement with their research,” said Dr. Michael Moore, director of undergraduate research and mentoring at UA Little Rock. “These students have the awesome opportunity to share their research with their local legislators. It is critical that we as researchers learn to communicate the importance and impact of our research with our local officials as it has the potential to influence public policy and funding allocations. This opportunity also allows the students an opportunity to network with other undergraduates across the state who are also doing research helping to build a broader Arkansas research community and for our students to see that they are doing research that is comparable to research others are conducting around the state. I am so proud of the amazing work our students are doing. It is always so much fun to be able to see and celebrate the hard work and dedication of our students and faculty.”

The event allows students from all Arkansas colleges and universities to present research at the Arkansas Capitol Rotunda to an audience of peers, educators, elected officials, and students from across the state.

“It’s definitely been amazing to present to people who aren’t necessarily in my field of chemistry,” said Marygrace McAfee, a junior biology and chemistry major. “It’s important to show people why research like this should be funded.”

The UA Little Rock students who participated include:

·  Joshua Pack, “Synthesis and evaluation of C-ring modifications to prodigiosenes as anti-cancer drugs,” mentored by Dr. Brian Walker

·  Marygrace McAfee, “Study of Solvent-Free, Microwave-Assisted Ring-Opening Reactions of Phenyl Glycidyl Ether with Azoles,” mentored by Dr. Brian Walker

·  Kyrilos Sadaka, “Investigating Antibiotic Evolution and Bacterial Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacteria,” mentored by Dr. Mohammad Goodarzi

·  Nistha Neupane, “Tunable nanoparticles for improved photothermal treatment, mentored by Dr. Noureen Siraj

·  Rayaan Muhammad, “Comparative Study of Simultaneous Carbonization and KOH Activation of Lignosol-Based Precursor for Hybrid Capacitor Application,” mentored by Dr. Noureen Siraj

·  Nathan Thomason, “Securing Utilities Through AI,” Dr. Philip Huff

·  Taylor Lackey, “Design and Construction of a High Temperature Induction Furnace for Synthesis of Large Area Tungsten Oxide Nanostructures for Future Photocatalytic Device Applications,” mentored by Dr. John Nichols

“This is the most gorgeous place I’ve ever presented research in. I have the honor of presenting what in the lab at such a prestigious and historic place,” said Pack, a double major in chemistry and biology who was presenting research on trying to develop anti-cancer drugs with the properties of a prodigiosenes, a class of compounds known to possess anti-cancer activity.

Another UA Little Rock student, Rayaan Muhammad, a junior biology major, said that presenting at the Capitol was an excellent opportunity to network with students and professors.

“The event has been professional, orderly, and I get to see a lot of student work,” Muhammad said. “I think this is a great collaboration that I am happy to be a part of.”

Muhammad’s research focuses on exploring how to make supercapacitors into a better renewable energy resource by expanding its ability to store energy.

“I’ve been working on my supercapacitor project for 1 ½ years. We are trying to solve the global energy crisis,” Muhammad said. “Right now, we are using nonrenewable energy, and, as a byproduct, we get carbon dioxide and we pollute the planet. The problem is we have green ways to get energy, but the way we store energy is not green because we are storing a lot with batteries. Supercapacitors are different from batteries. They are a lot more sustainable, a lot more renewable, and we are trying to make supercapacitors better.”