Albany State University Honors Students to Participate in Research Programs

Three Albany State University (ASU) honors students have been preselected for 2021 summer research programs at Washington University (WU), New York University (NYU) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Tyja Barnes Jones, a junior biology major from Kennesaw, Georgia, will participate in the Summer Engineering Fellowship held at WU in St. Louis. 

“Participation in the program will significantly help to advance my goal of obtaining a master’s degree and Ph.D., as well as allow me to hone my research skills and broaden my knowledge regarding biomedical engineering,” said Barnes-Jones.

As a fellow, she will choose a research project in any discipline and department within the McKelvey School of Engineering. In addition to a stipend, she has the option of presenting her research at the Annual Leadership Alliance National Symposium Research Conference, a national networking conference which offers skill building, networking and professional development opportunities tailored to the training needs of undergraduates.

 

 

 

 

Talyia Griffin, a junior biology major from Albany, Georgia, was accepted into the Evolutionary Medicine Program at UCLA. 

“The Evolutionary Medicine Research Program is the gift that keeps on giving.  It will provide me the opportunity to sharpen my research skills, allow me to develop new techniques in a state-of-the-art laboratory, fund my future graduate study and allow me to hone skills needed to become a microbiologist,” said Griffin.

The partnership between ASU and UCLA was initiated by Florence Lyons, director of the Velma Fudge Grant Honors Program, to increase the number of research opportunities for ASU students.

 “This is a wonderful opportunity for Talyia and I’m excited that, once she graduates from ASU, she will receive a tuition-free UCLA graduate school scholarship for both a master’s degree and Ph.D., as well as an annual stipend throughout her matriculation,” said Lyons. 

 

DeStandreana Norwood, a senior biology major from Albany, Georgia, was selected for admission into the Summer Undergraduate Research Program at NYU.

“I plan to become an obstetrician/gynecologist. So, I am most excited that the program will give me the opportunity to engage in NYU’s weekly ‘Conversations with a Physician’, to inquire about the individual’s academic journey, and to seek advice regarding mine,” said Norwood.

In addition to a stipend, Norwood will conduct research at the NYU School of Medicine and NYU Langone Medical Center. She will be assigned an NYU faculty mentor and present her accumulated research at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium.