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Council for Scholarship, Inquiry, Design, and Engagement (C-SIDE) Jupiter

The Council for Scholarship, Inquiry, Design, and Engagement (C-SIDE) Jupiter is a CSI cohort centralized to the FAU MacArthur Campus established for the purpose of promoting undergraduate engagement in inquiry, scholarship, and design through fostering a culture of research at Florida Atlantic University and providing students with opportunities to become immersed in research. C-SIDE aims to help students gain access to FAU’s great, existing resources as well as create new ones to enhance the scholarship, creativity, critical thinking, and academic excellence of all students at FAU. C-SIDE also aims to encourage and foster school pride and unity at FAU through the promotion of scholarly activities, collaborations, and outlets of creativity and academic excellence. C-SIDE opportunities include general body meetings, professional development workshops, research seminars, collaborative events within the Jupiter research triangle, and much more!

To learn more about us or to get involved, please visit our pages on owl central and Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @csidejup.

Bio
Christy LaFlamme Christy LaFlamme, co-President of C-SIDE, is currently a junior at the Wilkes Honors College majoring in Biological Chemistry and minoring in Mathematics. She began research one year ago in a computational chemistry laboratory here at FAU and has since conducted research through the Scripps Research SURF program. Last semester, she received a research grant through FAU OURI to aid her in her studies as a Scripps Research BLEU scholar in the Disney laboratory investigating small molecules that can cleave toxic disease-causing RNAs, such as microRNA-21 involved in cancer metastasis and microRNA-25 in cardiac disease. Christy plans to continue her educational endeavors in graduate school towards a Ph.D. in the Biological and Chemical Sciences in order to pursue biomedical research. She aims to one day conduct research and mentor others as a university professor encouraging integration of both the sciences and the arts in research inquiry.
  Praewpailin Rich, co-President of C-SIDE, is a Biology major at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College currently researching G-protein coupled receptors in the laboratory of Laura Bohn at Scripps Research. Additionally, Praew is assisting Dr. Ashley Kennedy, an assistant professor in Philosophy at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, in her research on Child Labor in Myanmar. Praew is excited to apply the knowledge she has learned in the classroom, laboratory, and other areas in her pursuit of medical school. After retiring, she plans to establish free clinics to aid underserved communities.
Liz May Liz May, Vice President of C-SIDE, is a sophomore at the Wilkes Honors College majoring in Biology and Biological Anthropology. She began research at a microbiology lab at FAU Boca working on the evaluation of antibiotic activity in bacteria isolates found in soil. Liz is also testing antibacterial producing peptide KTG3 in order to analyze its degree of antibacterial properties for the potential development of pharmaceutical drugs. She plans to take a gap year after graduation to work as a research assistant and further prepare for medical school. After retiring from medicine, Liz plans to become a professor of anthropology.
Angela Easterling Angela Easterling, Secretary of C-SIDE, is a Cellular Neuroscience major and Data Science minor at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College (WHC). She is apart of the International Youth Neuroscience Association, an online neuroscience non-for profit, as a MAST Contributor where she works collaboratively with both national and international high school, undergraduates, and graduate students in making neuroscience more accessible - particularly in her part in designing programming curriculum in R for students new to neuroscience research. She also has served as a neuroscience high school intern at the Florida Institute of Technology conducting research on traumatic brain injuries and is excited to start her research endeavors at the Jupiter Campus triangle when she enters the WHC this fall.
Abigail Nwiloh Abigail Nwiloh, Treasurer of C-SIDE, is a second year pre-medical student with a concentration in Biological Chemistry at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College currently She is currently conducting research at the Brain Institute on the Jupiter campus where she uses C. elegans to study the brain. She aspires to be a dermatologist but is open to gain experience in other avenues of science including graduate laboratory research. When she is not occupied with her school and lab work, she enjoys designing and making clothing, singing, and running.
Anita Nwiloh Anita Nwiloh, Marketing Director of C-SIDE, is a sophomore at the Wilkes Honors College majoring in Biology (pre-medical track) and minoring in Economics. She took her first research class in high school studying the antioxidative properties of vitamins and their subsequent effects on free radicals. Annie presented this work at the Fort Worth Regional Science Fair. She recently attended the Scripps Research DIVERGE program and connected with Dr. William Ja, a Scripps neuroscientist studying aging and development in Drosophila. She has recently started her internship with him this semester. As a student at the frontier of molecular biology and neuroscience, Annie is excited to see how studies from the classroom come to life in the lab. In addition to gaining hands on research experience, she hopes to learn exactly how cutting-edge scientists contribute to medicine in contrast to a doctor's clinical patient care. After graduation, Annie aims to attend medical school to become a practicing OB-GYN physician.
Stefan Stefan Choy, Scripps Research Ambassador of C-SIDE, is a junior at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College majoring in Biochemistry. He recently attended the Scripps Research DIVERGE program and began his research on the assembly of the small ribosomal subunit in the Karbstein lab. Stefan uses yeast as a model organism to investigate various ribosomal proteins and their implications in cancer. Stefan intends to pursue higher education in the biomedical sciences with a goal of a Ph.D. in one of the related fields.
abigail chavez Abigail Chavez, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Ambassador of C-SIDE, is a third-year Cellular Neuroscience and Psychology student at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College. She began researching in the spring semester of her freshman year at the Bolton lab, also known as the Disorders of Neural Circuit Function lab. She has formed part of the MPFI Scholar Program, the Max Planck Honors Program, and is on track to enroll in the Post-Baccalaureate Research Experience (PRE) Fellows Program during her gap year. More specifically, Abi works with mice as a model for neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, autism, and anxiety focusing in on the amygdaloid region of the brain. She plans to attend a medical school with a neuroscience Ph.D. program in hopes of integrating both fields in her practice.
Gabrielle Byrd Gabrielle Byrd, Brain Institute Ambassador of C-SIDE, is a sophomore at the Wilkes Honors College majoring in Neuroscience. She began research last year at FAU’s Brain Institute investigating the effects of amphetamine via the model organism C. elegans. Currently, she is analyzing the precise effects the drug, nisoxetine, in comparison to amphetamine in order to establish the immediate and potential transgenerational effects of nisoxetine using both embryonic and acute treatments. Gabrielle aspires to continue her education with the goal of attaining a Ph.D. in Neuroscience to pursue a lifelong research career.
Jessica Chomik Jessica Chomik, Jupiter Life Science Initiative (JLSI) Ambassador of C-SIDE, is a current second-year student at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College majoring in Cognitive Neuroscience. She was born and raised South Florida but has Hispanic roots. Jessica is currently working in the Keene lab at the Jupiter Life Science Initiative (JSLI). She uses Drosophila melanogaster to study sleep and its relation to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. When not in the lab, Jessica enjoys street motorcycles and communicating science through her podcast with the JLSI: The Research Diaries.