BMCC Students Present Research Projects at CSTEP conference

Four Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) students — including Claudia Melo, who earned an honorary mention in the Cellular, Microbial and Molecular Biology and Virology category — presented in the 27^thAnnual CSTEP (Collegiate Sciences and Technology Entry Program) Statewide Student Conference, Journeys Beyond Excellence, April 12 through 14 at the Sagamore on Lake George in Bolton Landing, New York.

The students were accompanied by Aned C. Buczynski-Kos, laboratory and operations manager in the BMCC Office of Research, and Marawan Elzoeiry, coordinator of the CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP) at BMCC.Each year, the CSTEP program at BMCC  recruits 200 full-time, income-qualifying or underrepresented students majoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics who first complete a summer research methods workshop and weekly seminars.

Next, the CSTEP participants partner with a BMCC faculty researcher to take a hands-on role in faculty-led research projects. The students present on these projects at conferences around the country, as well as at BMCC’s Annual Research Symposium (BARS), coming up this year on May 8.

Projects that address HIV prevention and eco-friendly ways to clean up water sources

Nadjet Cornejal, whose mentor is Science Professor Jose Fernandez Romero, presented a poster in the Cell/Micro/Molecular Biology and Virology category of the conference. His faculty-led project, “Human Vaginal Fluid Components Do Not Interfere with Griffithsin Anti-HIV Properties,” explores the use of griffithsin (GRFT), a lectin isolated from red algae, as a potential microbicide to prevent HIV acquisition.

Claudia Melo, whose mentors are Science Professors Adolfina Koroch, Jose Fernandez Romero and Christine Priano, won honorable mention for her presentation in the Cell/Micro/Molecular Biology and Virology category of the conference. Her project, “Biological Activity of Guava (Psidium Guajava),” looks at the common use of guava fruit to treat illnesses such as gastroenteritis and examines the antioxidant, antiviral and antibacterial activities of different commercial samples of guava leaves.

Enyani Roytvayn, whose mentor is Science Professor Abel Navarro, presented a poster in the Materials Science and Nanotechnology category of the conference. His faculty-led project, “Bioremediation of divalent Cobalt ions from solutions by low-cost biopolymers and their hybrid adsorbents,” examines eco-friendly ingredients including spent peppermint leaves to determine their potential to absorb heavy metal pollutants in water sources.

Shahjada Shahrear, whose mentor is Science Professor Abel Navarro, presented a talk in the Physical Sciences category of the conference. His faculty-led project, “Chemically-Modified Biowastes as Adsorbents of Pharmaceutical Products from Contaminated Waters,” examines the use of bioremediation, or using organic materials such as spent green tea leaves, to  absorb antibiotics, metals and dyes from water sources.

For more information about the CSTEP program at BMCC, contact CSTEP Coordinator Nicole Yoo at cstepbmcc@gmail.com.