Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – An Arkansas State University student has been selected to participate in the prestigious St. Jude National Symposium for Predoctoral Research, this week in Memphis.
Olivia Sloan, a senior majoring in biological sciences, preprofessional emphasis, and an Honors College student, was invited to the annual competitive symposium for emerging young scientists from across the nation. Participants will learn about St. Jude Graduate School programs and network with their faculty and current students.
“Being selected for the St. Jude NSPR program is truly an honor,” Sloan said. “I’m so thankful for the mentors and professors here at A-State who have supported my research journey, and I look forward to learning not only from the incredible scientists at St. Jude but also from the other students in the program. This opportunity will help me grow toward my goal of becoming a biomedical researcher.”
Sloan has been working under the mentorship of Dr. Vishwa Rajagopalan, a faculty member in the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, both at A-State.
On Friday, the Walnut Ridge native will present some of her undergraduate research into the role of long noncoding RNAs in age-related cardiovascular disease. She is co-author on a paper highlighting this work that was recently accepted for publication.
“Congratulations to this amazingly talented and hardworking A-State undergraduate scholar,” commented Dr. Tanja McKay, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.
In addition to her symposium presentation, Sloan is completing an Honors College thesis project exploring cardio-neuronal regulation and the effects of anti-cancer drugs on these interactions. She will defend her thesis during the spring semester. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a PhD in biomedical sciences, focusing on complex diseases and the development of novel therapeutics.
