Alec Kramer Reflects on his Research Experience at BU
What I learned from working in The Sayes Group and how my role in the lab has shaped my future career:
Working in the Sayes Group during my college career has been an invaluable experience. I gained technical proficiency, learned how to operate within a professional scientific environment, and improved my presentation and writing skills. The feedback I received on my work helped me to continuously improve.
By the end, I was skilled at managing experiments and helping others. Even grad students sought my assistance, exposing me to diverse techniques and cell types.
At the Sayes Group, I performed at a graduate level as an undergraduate and contributed to various projects, including creating experiments with Sahar Pradhan. Baylor University's support, Dr. Sayes' mentorship, and Dr. Klausmeyer's program guidance were fundamental to my success. Dr. Coogan was also a supportive friend. My time in the lab influenced my decision to pursue a Neuroscience PhD at Vanderbilt.
Graduate student Yanira Baldovinos wins "Outstanding Research Poster Award in the Life Sciences" at TSM 2022 conference
Graduate student, Yanira Baldovinos represented the Sayes Group at the 56th Annual Texas Society of Microscopy (TSM) Meeting. Yanira presented her recent work evaluating e-vape additive compounds. She was awarded the Outstanding Research Poster Award in the Life Sciences award. We are excited to see Yanira’s future work in the Sayes Group Laboratory.
“The Texas Society for Microscopy (TSM) held its 56th annual meeting March 24th – 25th, 2022. The meeting took place at the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), 100 Research Pkwy, Waco, TX, 76704. The workshops were held on Thursday, March 24 at the Center for Microscopy and Imaging at Baylor University.” - TSM
Sayes Lab at 4th Annual Texas Plastic Pollution Symposium
On March 31, 2022, members of the Sayes Group traveled to the Port Aransas Community Theater, Port Aransas, Texas, to attend and present at the 4th Annual Texas Plastic Pollution Symposium (TPPS). The meeting was hosted by the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Texas Sea Grant, Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, NOAA Marine Debris Program, and Texas Coastal Bend Surfrider Foundation. Dr. Christie Sayes presented a talk entitled “Environmental Effects and Toxicological Mechanisms of Microplastics in Aqueous Systems”. Clancy Collom, PhD candidate networked with researchers from Keep Texas Beautiful; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC); Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve; University of Wisconsin-Superior; Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; The Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Massachusetts; and the University of Texas at Austin. The meeting concluded with a Dolphin Cruise around the Port Aransas Bay.
Nanofabrication: What are the current needs?
SUSNANOFAB aims at understanding how companies seek to identify and address solutions to their industrial needs and their willingness to work with others to solve their needs. The project is surveying industrial stakeholders to help identify what their immediate industrial needs are. These are the challenges faced in bringing their products or services to the market, which could include knowledge gaps, financial needs, access to infrastructures, or regulatory compliance. This survey will help us in constructing identify possible trainings and brokerage opportunities for the nanofabrication ecosystem.
Our next paper has been published in Environmental Chemistry Letters
“Copper, silver, and titania nanoparticles do not release ions under anoxic conditions and release only minute ion levels under oxic conditions in water: Evidence for the low toxicity of nanoparticles” has been published in Environmental Chemistry Letters.
Marina Mulenos Wins 1st Place Platform at 2020 YES-SETAC Meeting
Congratulations to Marina Mulenos for her 1st Place, Best Platform Presentation Award at the 2020 Young Environmental Scientists (YES) Meeting, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) held in Waco, Texas on March 9-11.
The 9th SETAC Young Environmental Scientists Meeting offers an inviting atmosphere for attendees as a conference planned and attended entirely by students and recent graduates in the fields of environmental toxicology and chemistry. For more information, follow this link.
Sayes Group Members Present at Texas Society of Microscopy and Bring Home Platform and Poster Awards
Members of the Sayes group at Baylor University attended and presented at the 55th annual Texas Society for Microscopy meeting held in College Station, Texas on February 20th - 22nd, 2020. Sahar Pradhan, Matthew Gibb, and Thelma Ameh presented posters and Henry Lujan and Marina Mulenos presented platforms.
Pictured left to right: Thelma Ameh, Sahar Pradhan, Marina Mulenos, Henry Lujan, and Matthew Gibb.
Two members were awarded Best Overall Presentation awards. Sahar Pradhan won Best Poster on, “6-hydroxidopamine (6-ODHA) induced toxicity on in vitro neuronal and glial cell models”. Henry Lujan won Best Platform on, “Dysregulation and Morphological Changes of Mitochondria Within Lung Cells After Exposure to Engineered Aluminum Nanoparticles. Henry was also the recipient of this year’s TSM Small Grant Award.
Sahar Pradhan and Dr. Bernd Zechmann
Henry Lujan and Dr. Bernd Zechmann
Thelma Ameh wins SAES 2020 Award
Congratulations to my talented graduate student Thelma Ameh (PhD, 2021) for winning the Best Poster Award at the 74th annual meeting of the Subtropical Agriculture and Environments Society (SAES)! Her work on developing targeted drug delivery systems for Citrus Greening Disease is revolutionary and impactful.
Sayes Group Attends SOT Regional Meeting
Members of the Sayes Group from Baylor University participated in the Fall 2019 Meeting of the Lone Star Society of Toxicology Regional Chap[ter. Matthew Gibb and Dr. Vicky Jiaqi Liu presented platforms, while the others presented posters. Meeting was held in Galveston, Texas on November 15-15, 2019.
Back Row (L to R): Henry Lujan, Matthew Gibb, Christie Sayes; Second to Back (L to R): Marina Mulenos George, Bailey Sharp, Desirae Carrasco, Sahar Pradhan; Third to Back (L to R): Vicky Jiaqi Liu, Vynna Chitolie, Thelma Ameh, Melinda Coogan; Front Row (L to R): London Steele, Lauren Pitts, Cody Olson, Tyler Varseas
Matthew Gibb Wins Overall Best Poster Presentation
On October 10-12, 2019, Matthew Gibb traveled with Christie Sayes to Irvine, California to attend the Third Aerosol Dosimetry Conference: Inhaled Aerosol Dosimetry: Models, Applications and Impact.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Matthew was recognized with the Overall Best Poster award. The title of the poster was, “Differentiating respirable sensitizer and irritants using in vitro models: Analysis of cell-based monolayers versus co-cultures”.
Congratulations, Matthew, for an awesome presentation!
