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Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’S-To-Phd Bridge Program

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Gianna Davis Hometown: San Antonio, TX Undergraduate Institution: UT San Antonio Current Stage and Institution: PhD student, University of Chicago Areas of Research in Astronomy *Availability to take new students varies from year to year.* Kelly Holley-Bockelmann Theoretical Astrophysics, Galaxy Formation and Evolution, Supermassive Black Holes and Gravitational Waves Jessie Runnoe Quasars, Observational Surveys (SDSS, LSST) Stephen Taylor Multi-Messenger Gravitational Wave Astrophysics, Data Science Karan Hometown: Morgan Hill, CA Undergraduate Institution: San Diego State University Current Stage and Institution: PhD student, Keck Graduate Institute Track: Applied Life Sciences Research: Ramanathan Lab Website

RaNashia Boone — Fisk-Vanderbilt Master's-to-PhD Bridge Program

The following Master’s Theses were made possible through support from the US National Science Foundation through the CREST program’s Award Number: HRD 1547757, Fisk University Center of Excellence for Biological Signatures and Sensing (BioSS) 1) Jodiene Johnson, “Deciphering the role of Germline-Specific Protein MAGEA9 in Cancer”, Master’s thesis, Fisk University, John Crisel Suarez Hometown: Mexico City / Austin, TX Undergraduate Institution: St. Edward’s University Current Stage and Institution: PhD Student at Vanderbilt University Track: Physics Research: I researched crystal structure optimization and electronic properties of scintillators using computational models. Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s to PhD Bridge Program Click Here to Learn More and Apply! Program Info Contacts Academic Level: Graduate Students (Masters) Graduate Students (PhD) Description: The Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge Program, with more than 79 students joining since 2004, focuses on increasing the number of underrepresented minorities earning

Vanderbilt University does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of their race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, military service, or genetic information in its administration of educational policies, programs, or activities; admissions policies; scholarship and Arline Pierre-Louis Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Undergraduate Institution: Wesleyan University Current Stage and Institution: Master’s student at Fisk

Jamica Jacobs — Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge Program

The centerpiece of VIDA’s educational efforts is the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program. The aim of the Bridge program is to give students with undergraduate science or engineering degrees the preparation needed to earn a PhD in astronomy, physics, materials science, or biology. Carlan Romney Hometown: St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands Undergraduate Institution: University of the Virgin Islands Current Stage and Institution: PhD student, Vanderbilt University Track: Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Research: Cancer Biology

George Cooper Hometown: Little Rock, AR Undergraduate Institution: Morehouse College Current Stage and Institution: PhD Student at Vanderbilt University, working remotely at Y-12 Security Complex Track: Physics Research:

Bill Smith Hometown: Lancaster, Pa Undergraduate Institution: Gettysburg College Current Stage and Institution: PhD student at Vanderbilt University Discipline/Track: Astronomy Research: I’m interested in large scale structure and statistical methods applied to Shaniya Jarrett Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO Undergraduate Institution: University of Colorado, Boulder Current Stage and Institution: PhD student at the University of Maryland Track: Astrophysics Research: Cosmology, Gravitational Waves, and Machine Learning CV FVBP turns 20 this year! Bridge directors, students and alumni shared their experiences of the past and current Bridge in an interview with Vanderbilt University. Read more here .

Current Stage and Institution: PhD Student at Vanderbilt University Discipline/Track: Biomedical Engineering Research: The primary focus of my current research is engineering cancer cell surfaces with surface-conjugated nanomaterial drug carriers to enhance immunogenicity of whole cell-based cancer vaccines. Brit Lewis-Morris Hometown: Chicago, IL Undergraduate Institution: Illinois State University Current Stage and Institution: PhD student at the University of

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Fisk-Vanderbilt Master's-to-PhD Bridge Program

Salma AshShareef Hometown: Phoenix, AZ Undergraduate Institution: University of Iowa Current Stage and Institution: PhD student at the University of Texas, Dallas Track: Biology Research: I am looking to study the role of dopamine neurons and

CREST-BioSS — Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge Program

Hometown: Osceola, Arkansas Undergraduate Institution: University of Missouri-Columbia Current Stage and Institution: 2nd-year Master’s student at Fisk University Track: Biology Research: Interested in C. elegans and oxidative stress Important Forms Vanderbilt University YES Writing Studio Biomedical Research Education & Training Black Cultural Center Women’s Center LGBTQI Life Student Health Center Recreation Center Parking Services Graduate School Dissertation Guidelines Travel Grants Student Handbook Graduate Catalog Class Search Office of Student Care Coordination

Current Stage and Institution: PhD student at Vanderbilt University Track: Biochemistry Research: My research interests include patient-oriented clinical trials and the development of new treatment plans related to diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, and obesity. In addition, I wish to conduct research in pathology and laboratory medicine. Ashley Colemon Hometown: Nashville, TN Undergraduate Institution: Hampton University Current Stage and Institution: PhD Student at Duke University Track: Molecular Cancer Biology Research: Melanoma Antigen Genes (MAGEs) are a family of genes whose expression is normally restricted to the germline, but have an aberrant reappearance in cancer.

The first PhD bridge programme in physics and astronomy was the Fisk–Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Program. Founded in 2004, the programme is a partnership between Fisk University (a historically Black college and university) and Vanderbilt University (a research university that is located only two miles away). Areas of Research in Physics *Availability to take new students varies from year to year.* Materials Science and Applications Group Rithya Kunnawalkam Elayavalli Explorations of perturbative and non-perturbative Quantum Chromo Dynamics; Experimental probes of the emergent Quark-Gluon Plasma in heavy ion collisions; Theoretical Space-time structure of

Hometown: Nashville, TN Undergraduate Institution: McGill University & Fisk University Current Stage and Institution: 2nd-year Master’s student, Fisk University Track: Chemistry Research: Current Stage and Institution: PhD student, Vanderbilt University Discipline/Track: Biomedical Informatics Research: I am working on the calibration of a Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) prototype using a Fisk grown SrI2:Eu2+ scintillator crystal coupled to a silicon photomultiplier to image bones. The Materials Science and Applications Groups (MSAG) laboratory at Fisk University is a unique facility dedicated to the research and development of new and innovative radiation detector technologies. A variety of crystals and detectors are investigated and fabricated, which include compact gamma ray spectrometers and low-power neutron detectors.

Transitioning to the PhD Program Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge students are not automatically guaranteed admission to PhD-granting programs at Vanderbilt. The expectation is that a Bridge student who has satisfied the requirements in this document will receive consideration by the Vanderbilt admissions committee as having demonstrated strong potential James Poland Hometown: Pennsauken, NJ Undergraduate Institution: Delaware State University Current Stage and Institution: PhD. Candidate, Vanderbilt University Discipline/Track: Chemistry Research: Ion mobility-mass spectrometry is an analytical tool that is used to separate small molecules based on their size and shape. ABSTRACT We describe the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge program as a successful model for effective partnerships with minority-serving institutions toward significantly broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in the physical sciences. The program couples targeted recruitment with active retention strategies, and is built upon a clearly defined

Research Progress Feedback Form Request to Appoint Committee Request to Change Committee Thesis Committee Meeting Feedback Form Summary of Committee Meeting Grad School Audit (Forms A and B) Summary of Committee Meeting for Permission to Defend (Form C) Request to Schedule Defense (Form D) Result of Defense (Form E) Information for Areas of Research in Chemistry *Availability to take new students varies from year to year.* Dain Beezer Design and Development of Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications

PhD bridge programs as engines for access, diversity and inclusion

Matthew Galazzo Hometown: Monrovia, CA Undergraduate Institution: Cal Poly Pomona Current Stage and Institution: PhD student at Vanderbilt University Discipline/Track: Interdisciplinary Materials Science Research: My research involves creating cheaper more efficient polymer membranes with a wider range of thermal stability. Ryan A. Gray Hometown: Chicago, IL Undergraduate Institution: Chicago State University Current Stage and Institution: PhD Student at Virginia Tech Track: Macromolecular Science and Engineering Research: Website Marvin Lopez Acevedo Hometown: Far Rockaway, NY Undergraduate Institution: Hamilton College Current Stage and Institution: 1st-year Master’s student, Fisk University Track: Physics Research: I’m a physicist and geoscientist in training with a focus on deep-Earth and magmatic systems, and their applications in planetary science.

Current Stage and Institution: PhD Student at Vanderbilt University Track: Astrophysics Research: I have studied the emission and acceleration processes in Supernova Remnants. Using X-ray data from the XMM-Newton, Chandra, and NuSTAR telescopes we have investigated the properties of several physical mechanisms found in remnant shocks.

Kamara Culbreath Hometown: Undergraduate Institution: Current Stage and Institution: PhD student at Vanderbilt University Track: Astrophysics Research: