Set to Soar: Senior Vanessa Belizaire

Senior Medical Biology major Vanessa Belizaire is poised to graduate from Florida Atlantic in December 2024. While her undergraduate days will soon come to a close, she’s eager to continue her educational journey.  

“As a career, I have decided to pursue the physician path in the health care industry,” shared Belizaire. “But first, I am interested in doing a master’s degree after graduation while working as a lab technician or research assistant. I hope to enroll in a dual M.D./Ph.D. degree in the future.”  

Over the summer, she was selected to participate in the John Nambu Memorial Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) on Florida Atlantic’s Jupiter campus. The focus of Belizaire’s project was to determine what the role of serotonin, specifically the 2A receptor, has on fear extinction. Consequently, Belizaire and her team also used an inverse agonist, MDL 11,939, to bind to the serotonin receptor to increase the memory of fear extinction. Her research was performed as part of Anna Tyulmenkov’s project, a Florida Atlantic Ph.D. candidate, and under the supervision of Robert W. Stackman, Jr., Ph.D., associate vice president for academic affairs for FAU’s John D. MacArthur campus and professor of psychology.  

“My experience with the Nambu Memorial fellowship allowed me the chance to explore and discover a deeper level in the world of research,” stated Belizaire. “I really fell in love with it.”  

Established in the memory of the late Dr. John Nambu, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, the program provides undergraduates a chance to perform cutting-edge research in life science labs on the FAU Jupiter campus. These fellowships are exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for students to perform research and expand their scientific expertise through networking with fellow undergraduates and faculty mentors, writing and presentation skills.  

As a first-generation student, Belizaire expressed her gratitude to all the faculty and staff who helped support her on her academic journey.   

“The guidance from FAU’s Pre-Health Professions team was a huge help within my journey,” expressed Belizaire. “From the professors who taught me to the advisors who guided me, not only did they share their knowledge, but they also shared their love and passion. It made me love science every semester and every class.”