Research
SMP students are required to complete a research project of their choosing. This research project may be conducted with faculty in Biological Sciences, or located somewhere else on campus, and this project may be experimental, data-analysis, or literature based. All research projects culminate in a seminar presentation either at the MA Student Seminar series or in an alternate setting, as well as with a written project summary.
Examples of SMP Research Projects
Below are some examples of recently completed projects by our MA students:
- "Exclusively Drinking Sucrose or Saline Early in Life Alters Adult Drinking Behavior by Laboratory Rats An Extended Analysis of Changes in Neural Responses.” Research Advisor Dr. Derek Daniels, Biological Sciences
- "Exploring Cutting-Edge Segmentation Approaches A Comparative Study Between Bi-parametric Atlas-Based Segmentation and SynthSeg for Precision in Medical Image Segmentation” Research Advisor Dr. Ferdinand Schweser, Neurology
- “Protective effects of dietary pulse fiber on short-chain fatty acids in obese pregnancies” Research Advisor Dr. Todd Rideout, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
- “Adenosine Regulation of T cell Suppression in Epithelial Ovarian Tumor Microenvironment” Research Advisor Dr. Brahm Segal, Immunology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- “Genetic Diversity and Population Structure Within Western New York Vernal Pool Fingernail Clams (Sphaeriidae spp.)” Research Advisor Dr. Scott Santos, Biological Sciences
- “A Comparison of Mineralized and Demineralized Freeze-Dried Bone Allograft on Osteoblast Cell Viability in vitro with Nano-Calcium Sulfate” Research Advisor Dr. Rosemary Dziak, Oral Biology
Project and Research Advisor Selection
SMP students contact faculty who are conducting research in a field they are interested in, and work with the faculty member to develop a project appropriate for their interest and schedule. Students are also connected to faculty who are seeking research assistants by the Program Director. Most students work with UB faculty on one of our three campuses, and some have completed projects at off-campus settings, including Dent Neurologic Institute and Erie County Medical Center.
