1/14/13
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Sierra Mosticone-Wangensteen '13 |
Randolph-Macon College student
Sierra Mosticone-Wangensteen ’13 has been awarded a Victoria Finnerty Travel Award.
Finnerty, who died in 2011, was a long-time member of the Genetics Society of America and served the Drosophila community and the Genetics community at large in many capacities. The award will support travel costs so that Mosticone-Wangensteen can present her work at the 2013 Drosophila Research Conference, which will take place April 3-7 in Washington, D.C.
The Charlottesville, Virginia native, with majors in
biology and
psychology, has been researching the different components of the cell signaling pathway of
Bcr-Abl mutation, which causes Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia in humans. Mosticone-Wangensteen began her research in summer 2012, as part of R-MC’s
SURF (Schapiro Undergraduate Research Fellowship) program. She is conducting research under the guidance of Biology Professor Traci Stevens.
“I applied to the SURF program because I was really interested in conducting research, and it seemed like a great opportunity to work closely with Professor Stevens,” she says. “Because of SURF I was able to conduct intensive research, and that helped me decide that I do indeed want to pursue research as a career.”
“Sierra made a tremendous amount of progress on her research project during SURF and is continuing her studies as a biology capstone project this year,” says Stevens. “She recently made the decision to pursue a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences, and this research experience is giving her the skills needed to be successful in graduate school. She is the first student from my laboratory who has received a travel award for a national conference. Attendance at this conference will be a great opportunity for Sierra to learn more about potential areas of research interests for her and for her to interact with current graduate students.”
Mosticone-Wangensteen, who serves as captain of
R-MC’s equestrian team, is thrilled about the Victoria Finnerty award.
“This is an amazing opportunity that not all undergraduates get, so I am very thankful,” she says.
SURF Program SURF offers Randolph-Macon College students the unique opportunity to conduct ten weeks of full-time, original research during the summer months, under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Like professional scientists and scholars, Randolph-Macon students apply to the SURF program by writing a proposal and a request for grant money to fund their undergraduate research project. If the project is approved, SURF participants receive a modest stipend as well as free housing.
At the conclusion of the SURF program each year,
students present their research in a conference keynoted by an esteemed academic or other nationally recognized leader. Students also submit a final written report and are encouraged to present their findings at a professional meeting in their discipline.
Click on Student Experience to read more stories about Randolph-Macon students. For more information about the breadth of programs and opportunities available at Randolph-Macon or to schedule a campus visit, contact our Admissions Office at (800) 888-1762 or at admissions@rmc.edu.