Senior Mary Caruso, a chemistry major, won the top prize in a recent undergraduate research conference and will attend the INSPIRE International Conference in June in Istanbul, Turkey. Details...
Caruso earned the top prize in the poster division at a two-day regional undergraduate research conference held recently at the University of Southern Mississippi. The prize included a $200 cash award and travel expenses to attend and present at the inaugural 10-day INSPIRE (Interstate Network of Science Programs Integrating Research and Education) international conference this summer.
Caruso’s winning poster was titled “Design and Synthesis of Reagents for the Construction of Protein-Based Bioimaging Agents.” Her work was based on research she did with Matthew Francis and Jacob Hooker during a 2005 National Science Foundation summer program at the University of California at Berkeley.
Caruso has worked for two years on an undergraduate research project with her mentor, Associate Professor of Chemistry Karl Sienerth. That work was the focus of an article recently submitted for review to the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Caruso hopes to earn a doctoral degree in chemistry and apply for NASA’s astronaut training program.