Student Highlights
Summer 2022
This spring two students previously supported by RI-INBRE fellowships, Dana Allababidi and Camila Cersosimo, received 2-year fellowships from the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U*STAR) program.
MARC U*STAR is a research and professional development program supported by the National Institutes of Health for undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds. The vision of the URI MARC U*STAR program is to create a robust and inclusive undergraduate biomedical research environment at URI, epitomized by equal opportunity and equal outcome. The program’s mission is to develop a cadre of underrepresented students who emerge into critically minded, discerning scientists, who are strong in fundamental research knowledge and practice and are leaders and exemplars to their peers.
Dana Allababidi, a sophomore in chemical engineering at URI, participated in the 2021 SURF program under the mentorship of Dr. Jyothi Menon. Dana joined the summer research program at Johns Hopkins University before beginning her MARC fellowship this fall. Camila Cersosimo, a sophomore at URI, participated in the 2022 SURE program under the mentorship of Dr. Samantha Meenach and partook in a summer research program at Harvard University prior to starting her MARC fellowship.
In addition, a recent survey of 2021 SURF participants that graduated in May 2022, resulted in 17 student responses where 9 students indicated they will attend graduate school or medical school following graduation, with the remaining students taking industry jobs in the biomedical sciences-related fields. We are excited for what the future holds for these students and glad for the support the RI-INBRE SURF program provided for them.
Summer 2021 
Callen Bleick began her SURF participation in the summer of 2020 with Dr. Kerry L. LaPlante, and returned in 2021 as a SURF+ member. “My time as a RI-INBRE student was extremely rewarding and helped pave my future career.” She shared that in college, “I took microbiology and biology lab courses but never long enough to satisfy my knowledge and passion for learning. When I found out that the University of Rhode Island is collaborating with RI INBRE, I figured it would be an optimal time to apply, learn more about how to present posters, and help contribute to publication/grant writing.”
Bleick wanted to work in an infectious diseases laboratory and gain the necessary skills to progress into a post-graduate research position. “When I was accepted to work in LaPlante’s laboratory, I was thrilled and very excited to start my journey in this area of research. I learned so much during my time as a URI and RI-INBRE student from 2020-2021 -from performing time kill assays and fraction inhibitory concentration assessments to writing grants, I realized how much I enjoyed my time as a research student. It’s exciting to learn about different drugs and how they work in the body, which is something I hope to continue as a postgraduate and into my future career.” Bleick modestly shared that she has presented her research with Dr. LaPlante at seven conferences and expects to publish her RI-INBRE supported research in 2022!
Callen’s future plans include completing 1-2 years of postgraduate clinical training at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She hopes to specialize in infectious diseases, help combat antimicrobial resistance, advocate for the pharmacy profession, and create new therapies that help guide clinical practice. She said, “Combining my passion for research, teaching, and lifelong learning, I aim to one day have a laboratory and teach at an institution.”