Student Research Competition

scientist placing specimen into petri dish

STUDENT RESEARCH COMPETITION

First Annual UGA Obesity Initiative Research Symposium

Awards

Oral Presentation: 1st Place $1000, 2nd Place $600, 3rd Place $400
Poster Presentation: 1st Place $500, 2nd Place $350, 3rd Place $150; two categories

Topic Categories

Basic Science Research
Clinical Research
Social and Behavioral Research
Community and/or Policy Research

Student Presentation Winners

Oral Presentation Winners

Josephine Bou Dagher Neuroscience PhD candidate in the Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute

Josephine Bou Dagher, First Place, Oral Presentation. Presentation title: Independent and combined effects of Bisphenol A and Diethylhexyl Phthalate on metabolic outcomes in Sprague-Dawley rats

Josephine is a Neuroscience PhD candidate in the Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute at the University of Georgia under the supervision of Dr. Sheba Mohankumar and Dr. Philip Holmes. Her research focuses on the effects of prenatal exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) that are present ubiquitously in the environment, such as bisphenols and phthalates.

Carolina Cawthon a PhD candidate and dietetic internfinishing up her fifth year in the lab of Dr. Claire de La Serre inthe Department of Foods and Nutrition

Carolina Cawthon, Second Place, Oral Presentation. Presentation Title: Microglia depletion in the nodose ganglion prevents high-fat diet-induced hyperphagia in male Wistar rats

Carolina Cawthon is a PhD candidate and dietetic internfinishing up her fifth year in the lab of Dr. Claire de La Serre inthe Department of Foods and Nutrition. She is interested in the connections between the gut microbiota, the gut-brain axis, and feeding behavior.

Liana Rodrigues a PhD candidate and dietetic intern in the Human Nutrition Lab in the Department of Foods and Nutrition

Liana Rodrigues, Third Place, Oral Presentation. Presentation Title: Do diet instructions impact weight outcomes during nut interventions?

Liana is a PhD candidate and dietetic intern in the Human Nutrition Lab in the Department of Foods and
Nutrition. Her research interests are centered around understanding the role of tree nuts on energy balance, appetite regulation, and chronic disease risk.

Basic Science Poster Winners

Elizabeth Klingbeil 1st place. Poster title: Manipulation of feeding patterns modulates microbiota composition, improves inflammatory tone and glucose tolerance, and maintains vagally-mediated satiety signaling

Wenyan Fu 2nd place. Poster title: Transient p53 inhibition sensitizes aged white adipose tissue for beige adipocyte recruitment by blocking mitophagy

Jiyoung Kim 3rd place. Poster title: Gut microbiota dysbiosis is sufficient to alter appetitive feeding behavior in rats

Clinical, Behavior, or Community Poster Winners

Regis Pearson 1st place. Poster title: Impact of an aspartame-containing diet soft drink on postprandial metabolism

Catherine Prater 2nd place. Poster title: Comparison of Blood Lipid Responses from Diets Enriched with Cottonseed Oil versus Olive Oil

Edward Green 3rd place. Poster title: Enhanced Strength, Power, Work Capacity and Fatigue Resistance in High-Intensity Functional Training Athletes