On September 16, UH Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling (CNRCS) students, staff and faculty gathered for the Center’s inaugural Student Research Day. The day of scientific presentations and collaboration was the first of what is planned to be an annual event, with an audience of more than 75 people in attendance. The research-in-progress talks provided the opportunity for each CNRCS graduate student to present his or her research topic, progress and goals, and for gaining experience presenting their research before a scientific audience.

“It is important to recognize the progress being made by these young scientists,” said Center director Dr. Jan-Åke Gustafsson. “Our Student Research Day not only spotlights the students, but offers an excellent opportunity for discussion and collaboration among researchers from different areas.”

In all, 16 current CNRCS graduate students presented the details of their research projects, including their progress to date and plans for further experiments. Each presentation was moderated by a Center professor and followed by a question and answer session, focused on faculty feedback and student discussion. Topics ranged from the role of estrogen receptors in different cancers, to the impact of environmental disruptors on the embryonic development of zebrafish.

Graduate student Selvaraj Muthusamy gave a presentation titled, “Estrogen Receptor Beta: Enzymes and Ligands,” in which he discussed the relationship between enzymes and the ligand-dependent activation of the hormone receptor.

“I appreciate this opportunity to share my work with my classmates and the faculty,” said Muthusamy. “It was fun spending the day together and getting to know everyone better, while swapping ideas.”

To conclude the day, the students, staff and faculty gathered in the CNRCS lobby for a reception. Collaborators from The Methodist Hospital Research Institute joined the students and faculty during the reception, which provided the researchers with a chance to exchange ideas on a more personal and informal basis than the earlier question and answer forums allowed.

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