Rutgers students at a sugar cane plant in Brazil during their visit to present research at the International Symposium of Undergraduate Research. From left to right: Chung-Yang Yeh, Jessica Louie, Arya Tewatia, Kshitij Minhas, and Alexandria Dionne
Five Rutgers students traveled to Brazil to present research at the International Symposium of Undergraduate Research during the week of October 21. The students were awarded the opportunity to travel through the different campuses of the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in an effort to bridge cultural and linguistic barriers through scientific exchange. This trip is facilitated through a longstanding exchange between Rutgers University and The University of Sao Paulo.
The Rutgers contingent consisted of two students from the School of Engineering and three from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Each student presented posters alongside the more than 6,000 USP students from varying backgrounds. The group also consisted of five students from the University of Porto in Portugal.
During their visit to Brazil, the students toured three different campuses, including Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos, and Piracicaba. Each campus offered a different perspective of both Brazil and the national university system. While Sao Paulo offers the big city atmosphere, both Sao Carlos and Piracicaba offer a much more agricultural atmosphere similar to that of the George H. Cook Campus of Rutgers. Students toured different facilities while learning the history of the school and increasing their global network.
Following is a list of student participants, along with their major and their research project.
Alexandria Dionne: Microbiology.
“Inhibition of Escherichia coli uptake by transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana expressing snaking-1.”
Chung-Yang Yeh. Biology and Psychology.
“Reduced evoked neural activity in the locus coeruleus of female rats exposed to dietary-induced binge eating.”
Jessica Louie: Food Science.
“Evaluating the use of synthetic and natural fluorescent dyes as optical probes for food quality.”
Kshitij Minhas: Material Science and Engineering.
“Lean Six Sigma study of Rutgers mail distribution.”
Arya Tewatia: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
“Characterization of novel one-step processed fiberglass-PTT.”
2013 International Symposium of Undergraduate Research in Brazil
Rutgers students with University of Porto Students from Portugal on their last day in Piracicaba. Top Left to Right: Kshitij Minhas, Megan Francis, Jessica Louie, Chung-Yang Yeh, Alexandria Dionne, and Aryia Tewatia. Bottom Left to Right: Pedro Gomez, Carolos Mensil, Joana Figueira, Ricardo Seabra, Victor Vitoyello, and João Silva
