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  Keisha Persaud

  Keisha Persaud

  Keisha Persaud is a junior at University of Central Florida where she is majoring in biomedical science. She currently works for Dr.Hickman at the Nanoscience Technology Center where she works on the body of a chip project. Her research interests include neuroscience, pharmacology and biology; She is aspiring to get her Ph.D. in either of those fields.

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  KeTaira Phillips

  KeTaira Phillips

  KeTaira Phillips was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. She is majoring in biology at the University of Central Florida. KeTaira has always had a passion for the sciences, finding much interest in the areas of animal behavior and genetics across many species. Her research interests include mating and social behaviors, and most recently developmental biology. Under the mentorship of Dr. John Weishampel, KeTaira works in the Geospatial Analysis & Modeling Ecological Systems (GAMES) Lab. KeTaira now immerses herself in her research where she maps artificial nigh light trends on sea turtle nesting beaches in the state of Florida. She intends to pursue a master’s degree in biology. She has found this field of work interesting and fulfilling, and hopes to continue conducting research in the future. KeTaira hopes to inspire more people to conduct their own research and participate in STEM programs, wanting to share the same delight and fulfillment she feels with others.

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  Michelle Prophete

  Michelle Prophete

  Michelle Prophete, currently pursues a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences. Her research interests include infectious disease processes, as well as cancer biology. She is currently conducting undergraduate research on immunotherapeutic methods to combat cancer using natural killer cells. Her experiences and academic interests have prompted her to pursue a MD/Ph.D. degree after graduation. She hopes to conduct research and practice as a physician, providing crucial specialized care. She aspires to serve as a mentor to other students with similar goals and become a leader, promoting academic progress in her community.

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  Yvelande Raymond

  Yvelande Raymond

  Yvelande Annie Raymond is majoring in biology with a minor in environmental studies at the University of Central Florida. She has many passions, including travel and environmental conservation. Currently she is conducting a study on the University of Central Florida’s’ landscape beds and their ability to support pollinator activity and diversity. Her research interests include observational studies about wildlife populations, human interaction and its environmental consequences, and pollinators. Her future goals are to become an environmental consultant and move on to work with the Environmental Protection Agency. Her professional interests include working in a wildlife sanctuary or at the EPA in the remediation of contaminated areas.

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  Brenda Rivera

  Brenda Rivera

  Brenda Rivera is currently a Junior at UCF. She is majoring in biology with a minor in environmental studies. With this degree Brenda hopes to conduct molecular research concerning zoonotic diseases and find solutions for their effect on the human and animal populations of third world countries. She hopes to apply a One Health approach to the study of these diseases. Brenda will obtain a Master’s in Infectious Diseases and Global Health at Tufts University. She hopes to eventually obtain a Ph.D. in either infectious diseases and immunology or a D.V.M.

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  Ariella Safalsky

  Ariella Safalsky

  Ariella is a Junior at the University of Central Florida, majoring in biomedical sciences. She currently conducts research in infectious diseases within Dr. Griffith Parks’ lab at the Lake Nona UCF Campus. Her collegiate goals are to finish her Honors in the Major project and take a lead role as a teaching assistant in the Microbiology Labs. Ariella hopes to enter a summer research program as an undergraduate and expects to enter a post-bachelorette research experience once she has graduated. Afterwards, she plans to earn her MD-PhD to become a well-rounded researcher.

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  Renee Sahatdjian

  Renee Sahatdjian

  Renee Sahatdjian is majoring in psychology at the University of Central Florida. She has participated extensively in campus programs, such as the Summer Research Academy, Lead Scholars Campus Engagement Leadership Track, and the Research and Mentoring Program. Renee is a past recipient of the Aqua Foundation for Women’s Scholarship, and a current UCF Scholars Award recipient. She is a research assistant in the Applied Cognition and Aging Lab, as well the Attention & Working Memory Lab housed within the Department of Psychology.

  Her research interests focus on visual cognition, specifically collision detection and visuospatial representations in working memory. She is working on an independent research project with Dr. Mark Neider, which examines how the presence of distractors affects the ability to detect collisions. Renee intends to pursue a graduate degree in either human factors psychology or human computer interaction. In the future, she hopes to work in industry or government, in order to conduct research that will improve society.

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  Joanne Tejero

  Joanne Tejero

  Joanne is a fourth-year student at the University of Central Florida. She is pursuing a double major in biomedical sciences and health sciences pre-clinical. Coursework helped her discover her love for the biological sciences. She spends time conducting immunology research at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences where she studies the generation and function of CD4 T cells. Enthusiastic about the challenging yet rewarding aspects the research community offers she hopes to continue this path by pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences or Immunology. She truly values education and academic rigor and she looks forward to more of it in her future.

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  Jose Urcia

  Jose Urcia

  Jose Urcia is a junior at the University of Central Florida, majoring in aerospace engineering. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) who regularly participates in events and projects. The latest project conducted with AIAA was the designing and building of a model rocket. Apart from school and organizations, he is also investing a moderate amount of his own private time to his own private project with other engineering majors. This project is an extension of the model rocket. They are designing a second stage rocket in which he designs the engines for said rocket.

  His current research involves the development of an anisotropic yield criterion. He hopes this research will lead him to a promising future that will allow him to go to graduate school, for either mechanical or aerospace engineering. His main professional interest is the development of commercial space travel or deep space exploration. However, he first wants to develop and enhance his experience in the field by taking on multiple internships for the next year or two, while working towards his master's program.

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  Amanda Vargas

  Amanda Vargas

  Amanda R. Vargas is a junior at the University of Central Florida. She is currently pursuing a major in health services administration within the College of Health and Public Affairs. Along with her major, she is also working towards a minor in public administration. Her academic interests include healthcare and politics. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in public health and business administration. Amanda hopes to conduct research and find innovative ways to improve our current healthcare situation. Her research interests include: long-term care, quality of care, aging, disparities and healthcare innovation. As a long-term goal, she hopes to work as the head of a healthcare facility, whether it is a hospital or a long-term care facility.

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  Elizabeth Wait

  Elizabeth Wait

  Elizabeth Wait is native to South Florida. She is currently a junior in the Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida pursuing a B. S. in Biotechnology. She plans on earning a Ph.D. in Computational Neuroscience. Elizabeth has been in Dr. Artëm Masunov's computational chemistry lab since the Fall of 2015 studying the effects of supercritical carbon dioxide on important combustion reactions. She is currently published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry A, but she plans on using these molecular modelling skills in understanding and treating degenerative diseases of the nervous system.