inside - Pharmacological Sciences - Stony Brook University

Convocation 2011The department graduated 17pharmacology baccalaureates ona sunny morning this May. SimonTong received the Sir James BlackAward for Excellence for achieving“the highest overall scholasticexcellence in course work and asenior research project.” Simonworked with Dr. Francis Johnsonon the zinc-binding properties ofdrugs and will pursue a Ph.D. inchemistry at SBU.Pharmacology Undergraduates Pursue MedicalResearchby Wahida AliThe pharmacology program at Stony Brook is an attractive major for scientificallyminded undergraduates for many reasons. When faculty member Dr. JessicaSeeliger spoke to students earlier this year, she took an informal poll on theirmotivation for choosing the pharmacology program. “I was surprised—andimpressed—by how many of them cited their interest in research as a decidingfactor.”In addition to rigorous coursework, pharmacology majors must write a researchthesis, an experience that introduces them to the bench and provides context fortheir classroom learning. With only around 25 students per year, the programis also attractive for the personal attention and guidance students receive fromdirector Dr. Bob Watson and administrator Janice Kito.Senior Victoria Pisarevskaya has enjoyed diverse research experiences as apharm major. As a member of the SBU honors program WISE (Women InScience and Engineering), Victoria started research as a freshman, working inthe bioengineering program on designing a transdermal vaccine patch.Dr. Frohman presents an award to Simon TongLisa Malone received the JeanM. Devlin Award for displaying“the greatest potential for makingsignificant future contributions tothe pharmacological sciences.”Lisa did her thesis research onstructures of kinase-inhibitorcomplexes with Dr. Markus Seeliger.She will pursue a masters degreein biotechnology at Albany Collegeof Pharmacy and Health Sciencesstarting this fall.Victoria Pisarevskaya (see right)sent her classmates on their waywith a rousing speech. “I, alongwith my fellow graduates, can’thelp but feel blessed for thisamazing opportunity to fillour minds with the invaluableknowledge that will allow us to goon and excel… to be the agents ofpositive change.”Her research interest took a very different turn after a summer internship workingwith children with autism piqued her interest in human psychological research.Upon returning to school in the fall, Victoria discovered the SBU Cody Center,a leading center for the diagnosis and therapy of pediatric autism. In hercurrent research with Dr. Eli Hatchwell (Dept. of Pathology), she is designingDNA chips with the goal of examining copy number variations in the brains ofautistic patients.In 2010, Victoria was an author on two papers papers in the European Journalof Neuroscience and Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and BiologcialPsychiatry resulting from her research at SBU. After graduation, she hopes topursue an M.D./Ph.D. with a specialty in pediatric oncology.Undergraduate program director Dr. Bob Watson (Far right) with students from the pharmlaboratory class Arjun Tara, Rana Said, Victoria Pisarevskaya, Miti Gandhi, RubayyahAlamgir and in back, Brian Lebedinski, Mark Shehata, and James Jungwon Park.10 Summer | 2011 |