Ten ASU students, including 6 graduate students, are presenting their research at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS), a four day national professional conference held this year at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix.

ABRCMS gives students an opportunity to present their research, participate in scientific sessions, network, and attend professional development workshops. Exhibitors from university programs, agencies, foundations, and professional scientific societies share information about graduate school and summer internship opportunities. 

Sharing research and networking at ABRCMS is too good an opportunity to pass up, says undergraduate Danya Anouti, a neuroscience student who wants to pursue graduate work in the sciences. She is presenting research on the effects of chronic stress. “I like that the conference is for minorities and that there is a wide array of scientists in different fields,” she says. “I hope to learn a lot to bring back to my work as well as expand my knowledge of career opportunities in research.”

Other students who will present at ABRCMS include:  

• Catherine Vuoung, a bioengineering Ph.D. student, is working with Arts, Media and Engineering’s Mixed Reality Rehabilitation system, a cutting-edge  research program designed to assist rehabilitation in patients who suffer strokes and Parkinson’s disease. Participants receive visual and auditory cues and feedback to help them re-learn motor tasks. “The ABRCMS conference provides a good avenue to expose ourselves and our research to a wide variety of research fields,” says Vuoung.

• Laura Gonzales, a psychology Ph.D. student, also works with the interdisciplinary AME mixed reality research. “My research focuses on the experimental aspects of motor learning, retention, and recovery in both healthy adults and adults who have Parkinson's disease,” she says.

• Research into a cancer-linked protein called RSK will be presented by doctoral chemistry student Xiaoqing Cai, who hopes to eventually help identify new potential antitumor agents.

“The ABRCMS is an excellent opportunity for students to present their research to peers from across the nation,” says Andrew Webber, Associate Vice Provost at the Graduate College. “It is a fantastic opportunity for them to hone their presentation skills at one of the top conferences in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.”

About 2,800 people attend ABRCMS, including undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and faculty and administrators. For information on the event and registration, see http://www.abrcms.org/index.html.