We’d like to invite everyone  to a special Quad-wide dinner and presentation this coming Monday, April 15^th at 6:00 PM in McLelland Hall South Lounge, where the College House Research fellows from Riepe, Ware and Fisher-Hassenfeld will discuss their research projects in an informal and interactive setting!

Here’s a brief bio of each of our Research Fellows along with their projects:

Robin Hu (Fisher-Hassenfeld)

Robin is a current freshman pursuing biophysics in the College. She is active in SYNAPSE, unEarthed, and volunteers with health organizations off-campus. In her free time, you can find Robin in any of the many coffee shops around. Robin's project focuses on optimizing a bone marrow cell-based therapy using exosomes that is delivered with a novel bioengineered sheer thinning gel (STG) to improve the functional outcomes and vasculature of the heart after myocardial infarctions. 

Fatima Al Rashed (Ware)

Fatima is a first-year pre-med student pursuing a biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a Penn Civic Scholar, the Research Fellow for Ware College House, and the Director of Health Education for Penn KDSAP. She enjoys playing tennis and biking. Fatima’s research focuses on the impact of the power crisis and other issues in The Gambia on patient care. The Gambia is a small West African country, known as the “Smiling Coast of Africa.” The Gambia is currently suffering from a significant energy crisis in addition to a lack of resources that is enabling healthcare providers from proving the best patient care. This summer, Fatima will be conducting research in The Gambia as a Hospital Intern in Bwiam through Penn Global.

Alejandra Bahena (Riepe)

Alejandra is a pre-med student pursuing a biochemistry major in the College. She is part of the Penn Neuroscience Society Research Committee and volunteers in the Neuroscience department of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. When she is not studying at Van Pelt library, she enjoys attending MEChA events, running around campus, and getting dinner in Center City with her friends.  Parkinson's disease is characterized by the presence of Lewy bodies in brain regions associated with memory and movement. Lewy bodies are formed when α-synuclein proteins aggregate, or accumulate above the normal range, in nerve cells. The purpose of this project is to study the role of the α-synuclein in SNARE-mediated vesicle fusion, since one of main functions of the α-synuclein is to regulate synaptic vesicle trafficking. The study of α-synuclein provides important insight into the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease and the possibility of a cure.

Everyone is welcome!! Please let me know if you would like to come so I have a headcount for dinner, by emailing me at rrosen@sas.upenn.edu. Bring your friends too, even if they don’t live in the Quad!