Elkins – Four Davis & Elkins College students are among 25 undergraduate interns selected to participate in the 2016 West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (WV-INBRE) Summer Research Program at West Virginia University and Marshall University. The nine-week program provides the students with formal research training while expanding their learning experience through workshops, seminars, mentoring and use of state-of-the-art core facilities.
Davis & Elkins participants are seniors Nick Akins of Hendricks, W.Va.; Colton Allen of Cheyenne, Wyo.; Ryan O’Connell of Waddell, Ariz.; and Brandon Sellers of Hazlehurst, Ga. As interns in the WV-INBRE program, they conduct biomedical research projects under the direction faculty mentors and will present the results at the Summer Research Symposium later this month at WVU.
At WVU, Allen is working with Dr. Paul Chantler on a study involving cardiovascular responses to exercise, while Sellers, mentored by Dr. Werner Geldenhuys, is researching possible treatments for Parkinson’s disease, and O’Connell under the guidance of Dr. Stan Hileman is studying the roles certain peptides play in the process of puberty.
Akins is completing his internship at Marshall. Mentored by Dr. Monica Valentovic, he is studying the adverse effects of drugs used to treat certain illnesses.
The students were selected based on the academic record, particularly in science related courses, laboratory experience and career goals, in addition to other criteria.
Funding for WV-INBRE is provided by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
Related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Davis & Elkins College is located in Elkins, 2 hours east of Charleston, 3 hours south of Pittsburgh and 4 hours west of Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit the College website at www.dewv.edu or call 304-637-1243.
