The LSAMP program, funded by National Science Foundation, promotes the success of students from underrepresented populations who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
In addition to the LSAMP program, Drexel is proud to host two cohorts of the Bridge to the Doctorate (BTD) Fellowship program. The BTD Fellowship program, also funded by the National Science Foundation, provides support for graduate students from underrepresented populations who are pursuing doctoral degrees in STEM disciplines.
We hope that this site will serve as a valuable resource as you learn more about the experiences and opportunities that are available to our LSAMP and BTD students.
Student Spotlight
Rhea Thompson
Biological Sciences
College of Arts & Sciences
Rhea was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA to West Indian-American immigrant parents. She attended Central High School where her first biology course sparked her curiosity for the sciences. Currently, she is a junior at Drexel University majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Cell, Molecular Biology, Genetics and Biochemistry. The summer of her freshman year, Rhea performed research under Daniel Marenda, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the departments of Biology and Neurobiology and Anatomy, through the STAR program on the characterization and application of Drosophila as a model for CHARGE syndrome. She was recently credited with her first publication in Human Molecular Genetics entitled “Kismet/CHD7 regulates axon morphology, memory and locomotion in a Drosophila model of CHARGE syndrome.” Furthermore, she has presented her research at numerous conferences and recently placed second at the Minority Access 11th Annual National Role Models Conference in Las Vegas, NV. This past summer, Rhea interned through Drexel University’s College of Medicine Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship under Brian Wigdahl, Ph.D. Professor and Chair of Microbiology and Immunology, on the correlation of genetic variation in brain-derived LTR sequences with HIV pathogenesis and disease. Rhea aspires to have a hands-on career that enables her to impact and interact with others through her scientific contributions and research.
If you are interested in having your profile featured on the Drexel LSAMP website, please contact the LSAMP Director.
Ryan Powell
Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering
Ryan was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. He attended J.R. Masterman High School and graduated in 2008 at the age of seventeen. Afterward Ryan chose to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at Drexel University. After completing his freshman year, Ryan conducted research through the Student Tackling Advanced Research or STAR program under the guidance of MinJun Kim, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Subsequently, Ryan completed his first co-op experience at The National Institute of Standards and Technology where he continued his research and was credited with his first publication entitled “Modeling the Effects of Outdoor Gasoline Powered Generator Use on Indoor Carbon Monoxide Exposures — Phase II". Ryan was most recently awarded the prestigious NASA MUST or Motivating Undergraduates in Science & Technology Scholarship. Through this scholarship program, he will be conducting research at a NASA facility in summer 2011. Ryan aspires to obtain his Masters in Chemical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. In the future, he would like to become a college professor as well as to start his own engineering firm.
If you are interested in having your profile featured on the Drexel LSAMP website, please contact the LSAMP Director.
Esteban Martinez
Biology
College of Arts and Sciences
Esteban Martinez was raised in Philadelphia, PA to Colombian immigrant parents. He attended Northeast High School where he partook in the International Baccalaureate Organization, a program with an international-based curriculum. He is currently a pre-junior at Drexel University majoring in Biology with a concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology. He began research with Dr. Joe Bentz in the second month of his freshman year when he was tasked with analyzing P-glycoprotein kinetics using a particle swarm algorithm. He then continued his research with Dr. Bentz in the STAR (Students Tackling Advanced Research) summer program. In 2010, Esteban co-authored his first publication entitled “Mass action kinetic analysis of multidrug resistance transporters expressed in confluent cell monolayer.” It will be featured in 2011 printing of the textbook The Structure of Biological Membranes. Esteban is also working with Eishi Noguchi, Ph.D., in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Drexel University College of Medicine. His research involves elucidating the mechanisms by which the fork protection complex stabilizes the DNA replication fork during DNA replication, thus keeping genomic integrity. Esteban has presented his research at several conferences including Drexel University’s College of Medicine Discovery Day. He earned second place in the Undergraduate posters section. Esteban hopes to acquire his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and further advance science through his research.
If you are interested in having your profile featured on the Drexel LSAMP website, please contact the LSAMP Director.
Francisco X. Guevara
Chemistry
College of Arts and Sciences
Francisco was born in Laredo, TX, but lived in Mexico during his early childhood. At the age of 6, he moved back to Laredo, TX where he completed his pre-collegiate education. From a young age, Francisco demonstrated an interest in the different fields of science. After graduating from John B. Alexander Health and Science High School, he chose to major in Chemistry at Drexel University. He is currently in his pre-junior year and conducting research with Dr. Kevin Owens in Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization- Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Francisco will be presenting a poster on his research at the American Society for Mass Spectrometry Conference in Summer 2011. Francisco aspires to get his Ph.D. in Chemistry and to continue in the field of research.
If you are interested in having your profile featured on the Drexel LSAMP website, please contact the LSAMP Director.
