Professor Seyed Moghadas with Rafia Nadeem<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFirst place: Tanya Puri<\/strong> (Physics) Puri developed biomimetic nanoscale coatings to improve the compatibility of brain-machine interfaces. These coatings mimic the brain\u2019s soft, hydrated tissue to reduce neuroinflammatory responses and support stable, long-term integration of neural probes, advancing safer and more effective neural interface technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSecond place: Daniel Della Rossa<\/strong> (Chemistry) Della Rossa\u2019s research improves hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) by reducing deuterium scrambling during peptide fragmentation, allowing more precise identification of drug binding sites, including secondary sites. It also maps how binding affects protein shape and allosteric regulation, complementing X-ray crystallography with dynamic structural insights. This technique aids early drug design by providing detailed information on protein-ligand interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThirrd place: Rafia Nadeem<\/strong> (Biology) Nadeem investigated the role of the transcription factor ZTF-22 in managing misfolded protein toxicity linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson\u2019s. Using a worm model expressing human alpha-synuclein, the project examines how loss of ZTF-22 affects protein aggregation and motor function. Findings could reveal how transcriptional regulation influences protein homeostasis and disease progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOral presentation winners and research highlights<\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nProfessor Seyed Moghadas with Parmeetpal Dhillon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nProfessor Seyed Moghadas with Umael Qudrat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nProfessor Seyed Moghadas with Jesse Hughes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFirst place: Parmeetpal Dhillon<\/strong> (Chemistry) Dhillon identified fundamental sources of error in measuring the equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) with surface-based assays. The research provided formulas and practical guidance to improve accuracy and reliability in drug screening, helping to reduce mis-ranking of compounds in early drug discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSecond place: Umael Qudrat<\/strong> (Biology) Qudrat used a macaque monkey model to study how the primate brain processes abstract images like sketches. By comparing macaque visual recognition and artificial neural networks, and recording brain activity in a key visual area, the project aimed to better understand visual generalization. The findings will improve knowledge of primate vision, advance AI design and have applications in neuroscience and clinical fields.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThird place: Jesse Hughes<\/strong> (Environmental & Urban Change) Hughes focused on how tributaries may contribute to toxic cyanobacteria blooms in Sambaa K\u2019e, a subarctic lake. Early results show tributaries carry bloom-forming cyanobacteria, helping trigger lake blooms. The work supports Indigenous conservation efforts and informs understanding of cyanobacteria in similar cold lakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cThe Faculty of Science extends its sincere gratitude to NSERC, individual donors, the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, and dedicated faculty members and staff for their unwavering support and commitment to nurturing undergraduate research,\u201d says Tsushima. \u201cTheir generosity and guidance have been essential in making these summer research experiences possible.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
York\u2019s Faculty of Science celebrates undergraduate students\u2019 bold projects in physics, biology and chemistry, revealing the impact of early-stage research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2386,"featured_media":373877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,22],"tags":[18,6,82,61,21,16,17,15,12,4],"yfileauthor":[204],"qualifier":[198],"yfile-author":[501],"tags-to-show":[155,147,161,168,154,158,146],"workflow":[],"class_list":["post-398354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-research-innovation","tag-awards","tag-faculty","tag-euc","tag-science","tag-research","tag-sdg-17","tag-sdg-4","tag-sdg","tag-students","tag-yfile","yfileauthor-yfilestaff","qualifier-by","yfile-author-melissa-hughes","tags-to-show-awards","tags-to-show-faculty","tags-to-show-faculty-of-environmental-urban-change","tags-to-show-faculty-of-science","tags-to-show-research","tags-to-show-sdg","tags-to-show-students"],"acf":{"internal_publish_date":null,"original_image":null},"yoast_head":"\n
York science students showcase innovation at summer conference - YFile<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n