Page 7 - IBP In Focus Newsletter

t EDUCATION PROGRAM UPDATES Undergraduate Physiology, continued
INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY t 7
Congratulations! IBP Top GPA 2020-2021
Nandini Avula Ashley Gao Rohan Raikar Rafat Solaiman not pictured: Jake Fridgen
Academics. A new undergraduate course, Physiology & Medicine (PHSL 2041), targeted at freshman and sopho- more students. The goal is to introduce students to the basic principles of physiology integrated with the impor- tance of physiology in human health. PHSL 2041 was offered in both the fall and spring terms and was well received by the students who enrolled.
Despite the challenges of online classes, our students main- tained the high performance levels of the previous year with ~33% of our students on the Dean’s list! We also were grati- fied to find that five of our graduating seniors finished their undergraduate careers with 4.0 GPAs! Congratulations to Nandini Avula, Jake Fridgen, Ashley Gao, Rohan Raikar and Rafat Solaiman for their excellence in the classroom.
The Undergraduate Physiology Society (UPS) worked hard to remain connected with our undergraduate base by or- ganizing a busy, mostly virtual, calendar for both semesters. Meetings included virtual game nights, opportunities for our new faculty (Drs. Liu, Bachelor & Knigge) to chat with our students via Zoom and virtual meetings with former students who are now in professional schools (medicine, dentistry, physical therapy). Congratulations to the 2021-22 Officers for UPS: Emily Wagner and Madison Oelke (Co-Presidents), Anna Clarin (Vice-President), Selena Ong (Communications Director), Josie Friedman (Public Relations) and Carter Northey (Community Outreach).
Emily Wagner Madison Oelke Anna Clarin
UPRIME (Undergraduate Physiology Research in Medicine and Education) is an exciting new summer program for promising undergraduate juniors and seniors interested in conducting research in physiol- ogy. UPRIME is in part funded by a grant from the American Heart Association awarded in early 2021. The initial UPRIME student cohort of five students completed their research experiences in the summer of 2021. Another 4-7 students will be selected for the upcoming cohort.
Another new initiative from IBP is INPUT (INtegrative Physiology Undergraduate Training) which is designed for freshman and sophomore undergraduates seeking an opportunity to gain research experience in physi- ology. The INPUT program is especially designed for promising young students from under-represented backgrounds.
Selena Ong Josie Friedman Carter Northey