June 21, 2024
Thursday, June 20, 2024, was an incredible day for research at Columbia College, as the Division of Health, Mathematics, and Sciences and the Division of Social Sciences hosted the fourth annual Columbia College Biomedical Research Program (CCBRP) Summer Research Symposium. Eight students worked together as part of a six-week intensive program to research, compile, and present findings on research topics, including: “Information Before Inhalation,” common misconceptions surrounding vaping and e-cigarettes, “Investigating Health Outcomes in the Columbia College Neighborhood,” and “The Pressure Cooker: How Stress Affects Mental Health in Graduate Students.”
CCBRP is a South Carolina IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (SC INBRE) funded project (through a grant from the National Institutes of Health). Columbia College has been awarded $375,000 over five years to help establish a culture of biomedical research on its campus.
Pictured from left to right are: (back row) Dr. Chakia McClendon (faculty mentor), Karla Frierson, Bradley Tilby, Brhia Cummings, (front row) Dr. Mary Jon Barrineau (faculty mentor), Kylie Stewart, Mina Shull, Laylah Belcher, Professor Alexis Scurry (faculty mentor), Kathleen Nichols, Madison Rabon, and Dr. Alexandra Szarabajko (faculty mentor). Columbia College is full of bright, driven, and competent students, as evidenced by this group of presenters. Faculty and staff from all over campus gathered to listen to each of them share their research findings and takeaways from the program. It is clear that the future is bright for CCBRP and each of these 2024 Summer Research Symposium participants! Well done, Koalas!