Student Success

STEMPEL COLLEGE STUDENTS MAKE AN IMPACT.

PH.D. CANDIDATE WINS AWARD FOR RESEARCH ON CHILDHOOD DYSTONIA-PARKINSONISM

Doctoral student Alexander Rodichkin won a top honor in a graduate-level competition organized by the Metals Specialty Section at the virtual annual meeting of the Society of Toxicology. His poster presentation took second place in the Metals Specialty Section among students from the United States and abroad. The entry describes his three-year study on the pathophysiology of toxic brain manganese concentrations in a mouse model of childhood dystonia-parkinsonism that occurs in humans as a result of a genetic mutation. His work examined the behavioral, neurochemical and neuropathological consequence of toxic brain manganese concentrations resulting from the global deletion of the manganese transporter gene SLC39A14. He showed that this animal model expresses many of the neurological characteristics of the human disease.

FIU EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDENT WINS OUT TO INNOVATE SCHOLARSHIP

Amelia León, a master’s student of epidemiology, is the winner of a 2021 Out to Innovate $8,000 graduate scholarship, made possible by an Innovation Generation grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation. The scholarship is awarded to talented LGBTQ students in STEM fields.

León, who goes by pronouns they/them/their, researches experiences of intimate partner violence in transgender and cisgender women at the Southern HIV & Alcohol Research Consortium (SHARC) Lab. They are also the lead organizer for Reflect Collective, an organization that raises awareness of sexual assault within the LGBTQ community and supports survivors.

“I enrolled in my master’s degree in epidemiology to study the epidemiology of sexual assault, the underlying causes and how to prevent it and treat it if it does happen,” León said. “I don’t think that current treatment methods used today are appropriate or humane, in my opinion.” León will graduate in 2022 and has their eyes set on medical school.

“This scholarship means multiple things to me because I am a transqueer student and also because I’m a survivor working for survivors through my nonprofit.”

—Amelia León Student at Stempel College, Department of Epidemiology

STEMPEL COLLEGE DIETETICS AND NUTRITION STUDENTS WIN NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Two Stempel College students were awarded national scholarships from the Academy of Nutrition Dietetics Foundation. Ph.D. candidate Lukkamol Prapkree and master’s student Maria Aguado are enrolled in Stempel College’s Dietetics and Nutrition program, which ranks 4th in the nation for dietetics and nutrition majors, according to College Factual.

“Our students are very competitive nationally, and it’s no surprise these two talented students received these scholarships,” said Dr. Evelyn Enrione, interim chair of the Dietetics and Nutrition program.

Prapkree received $1,000 for the 2021-2022 academic school year. After graduating in Spring 2022, she plans to pursue a career as a registered dietitian in clinical or community settings to help improve people’s health and wellness, prevent nutrition-related diseases and delay disease progression.

“I hope to use my knowledge and experiences to improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people.”

—Lukkamol Prapkree Ph.D. candidate, Department of Dietetics & Nutrition