Kaylee Smith, of Anderson, an honors chemical engineering and physics double major student in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas, recently received a State Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Students must have an excellent academic record and the support of a faculty mentor to be eligible to apply to the program. To be considered for an award, students must submit a detailed research proposal and letters of recommendation from faculty.
Smith will use funding from the fellowship to complete a research project entitled, "Targeted Drug Delivery with Peptoid-Based Nanospheres."
"I have been fortunate to receive a SURF grant from the state of Arkansas for my research in Dr. Shannon Servoss' lab," Smith said. "My project is to form peptoid-based nanospheres in solution. These nanospheres will hold medicines such as chemotherapy drugs and deliver them directly to diseased cells. Such a delivery mechanism would greatly decrease side effects associated with cancer treatment. I appreciate the time and effort Dr. Servoss has put into developing me as a researcher. This grant will pay me for the work I do in the lab, for lab supplies needed to conduct my research, and for me to attend the AIChE National Conference next fall to present my research."
Smith is the daughter of Pamela Satterfield and a graduate of McDonald County High School.
The SURF program is funded by the state of Arkansas and was originally created in 1992 with start-up funding from the National Science Foundation. Designed to encourage original research by undergraduate students at colleges and universities in Arkansas, the fellowship gives students the opportunity to complete a research project of their own design under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The program awards selected students a stipend and travel funds, which can be used for research-related travel and to present research at a professional conference. Faculty mentors also receive a small stipend.
"These students are completing ambitious projects with faculty members who are nationally and internationally known scholars in their fields," said Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs at the University of Arkansas. "The SURF is an amazing opportunity for students asking compelling questions in partnership with experienced faculty. It is a remarkable partnership, leading to new discoveries. It is good for the student, for the University community, and for the state."
The University of Arkansas' Office of Nationally Competitive Awards works in partnership with the Honors College, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and academic departments across campus to advise UA students on SURF grants. The SURF program is administered and funded through the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, with individual colleges and universities providing matching funds. Many SURF recipients present their research at the annual Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference held at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia.
Sports on 01/29/2015