Two COE Doctoral Students Among Nine at UGA Awarded ARCS® Foundation Scholarships

Nov 21, 2005

Two COE Doctoral Students Among Nine at UGA Awarded ARCS® Foundation Scholarships

Writer: Rebecca Ayer, 706/583-0578, alea@uga.edu
Contact: Harry Dailey, 706/542-5922, hdailey@uga.edu

Two College of Education doctoral students in kinesiology, Christopher Black and Edward Mahoney, were among nine students at the University of Georgia recently awarded scholarships from the Atlanta chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS®) Foundation, Inc., in recognition of their studies in the biomedical and health sciences.

Black, a native of Rogers, Ark., received a B.A. in Biology from Hendrix College and a master's in exercise science from UGA. His doctoral research interests lie in the area of skeletal muscle physiology and injury. He is currently exploring how the use of exercise may improve the health of individuals with spinal cord injury.

Mahoney, a native of North Tonawanda, N.Y., has a B.S. in chemistry from Ithaca College. His doctoral research looks at contraction-induced muscle injury in spinal cord injury patients, specifically focusing on whether repeated bouts of electrically stimulated exercise can protect the muscle from subsequent injury.

Gary Dudley, Distinguished Research Professor, is faculty sponsor for the two COE students.

The ARCS® Foundation was founded in Los Angeles in 1958 and is dedicated to helping meet the country's needs for scientists and engineers by providing scholarships to academically outstanding university students. The Atlanta chapter, which funds scholarships for students at the University of Georgia, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Morehouse College, has awarded over $1.3 million since it began in 1992.

UGA recipients of the award are selected through the UGA Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute and receive scholarships equaling up to $3,000 per semester until the completion of their doctoral degrees. Since 2000, the ARCS® Foundation has supported 23 UGA doctoral students with a total of $210,000 in funding.

Other 2005-2006 ARCS® Foundation scholars at UGA and their faculty sponsors are:

Matthew Bonds, ecology ( Pejman Rohani )
Pamela Bonner, microbiology (Lawrence Shimkets)
Sarah Whitehead Finch, genetics (Michael Terns)
Alex Harris, clinical and experimental therapeutics ( Adviye Ergul )
Karen Stirrett, genetics (Janet Westpheling)
Richard Suplita, psychology (Andrea Hohmann)
Rebecca Tomlinson, genetics (Michael Terns)

Bonds' research in environmental economics began at Francis Marion University where he received a B.A. in economics. His primary interest has since been the relationship between individual behavior and its cummulative consequences for society. The Baltimore, Md. native's current research uses game theory to model the role of human behavior on the evolution of infectious diseases.

Bonner is currently researching the components of lipid chemotaxis and gliding motility as well as how zinc-metalloproteases modulate the extracellular matrix in the bacterium, Myxococcus xanthus. In mammals, unchecked degradation of the extracellular matrix by similar proteases has been linked to arthritis and cancer. Bonner, who hails from Portsmouth, R.I., received her B.S. from the University of Connecticut.

Harris's research focuses on the role of endothelin-1 and matrix metalloproteinases in diabetic cerebrovascular remodeling. Cardiovascular complications, including stroke, are the number one cause of death in the diabetic patient population. Harris hails from Hogansville, and received a B.A. in biochemistry from LaGrange College.

Finch's research is focused on the involvement of the SMN (survival of motor neurons) protein in small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein (snoRNP) complex assembly. A deletion or mutation of the SMN1 gene causes spinal muscular atrophy, one of the leading genetic causes of death in children. Finch, a native of Dayton, Ohio, received her B.A. in microbiology from Miami University.

Stirrett, originally from Bethlehem, has a B.S. in biology from Wake Forest University. Stirrett is currently investigating novel approaches for generating new antibiotic compounds effective against infectious disease. She also is interested in improving non-viral methods of gene therapy through the construction of vectors that integrate safely into mammalian cells.

Suplita is a native of Fairmont, W.Va. He completed his bachelor's degree at West Virginia University and his master's degree at UGA, both in psychology. His doctoral research studies the role of endogenous cannabinoids, the body's own marijuana-like system, in reducing or eliminating pain when induced by stress.

Tomlinson is investigating the biogenesis and intracellular trafficking of telomerase components. Telomerase is responsible for preserving the length of linear chromosomes and preventing the loss of genetic information. The enzyme has important links to cancer and aging research. Tomlinson is from Hattiesburg, M.S. and holds bachelor's degrees in biochemistry and psychology from Louisiana State University.

For more information about the ARCS® Foundation, visit www.arcsfoundation.org.