Anoka-Ramsey students selected to present at national biomedical conference

Two Anoka-Ramsey Community College students, Tyler Leng and Chet Batkiewicz (shown), were selected to represent the college at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Seattle, Nov. 11-14, 2015. Batkiewicz (shown) won an award in the Cancer Biology section, marking the first presentation award for an Anoka-Ramsey student.

November 18, 2015

Two Anoka-Ramsey Community College students, Tyler Leng and Chet Batkiewicz, represented the college at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Seattle, Nov. 11-14, 2015.

Batkiewicz won an award in the Cancer Biology section, marking the first presentation award for an Anoka-Ramsey student.

Independent Research Summer Program (IRSP) students have been presenting their research for the past 10 years at this conference. This year Batkiewicz presented the IRSP work he conducted last summer at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (UMN–TC); Leng presented Anoka-Ramsey’s own wolf research project for the first time.

Batkiewicz started research at Anoka-Ramsey working on the woyotes (western coyote-wolf hybrids) research project a partnership project initiated by Anoka-Ramsey Faculty member Jennifer Braido with the Wildlife Science Center. That research led to Batkiewicz’s selection to the IRSP conducting cancer research at the laboratory of Dr. Bagchi at the UMN–TC. Batkiewicz is presenting results of that research at the conference: Characterizing the Molecular Interaction between NonCoding Pvt1 Rna and Myc Protein in Cancer: Is Pvt1 A Circular Rna?

Leng’s presentation at the ABRCMS conference was titled: Genetic and Phenotypic Characterization of Woyotes: An Experimental Hybridization of Western Gray Wolf with Western Coyote. The aim of the research was to confirm genetically woyotes are hybrids based on the hypothesis that, if indeed hybridization of these species gave rise to a new subspecies, then the hybrids would display hybrid vigor and/or intermediate phenotypes.

“This is another great example of undergraduate research as a high-impact teaching and learning tool and as a catalyst for opportunity and synergy between institutions and community partners,” said Anoka-Ramsey Biology Faculty member and IRSP Director, Paula Croonquist.

More about the Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)
Now in its 15th year, ABRCMS is one of the largest, professional conferences for underrepresented minority students, military veterans and persons with disabilities to pursue advanced training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). ABRCMS attracts approximately 3,600 individuals, including 1,900 undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students, 400 graduate students and postdoctoral scientists and 1,300 faculty, program directors and administrators. Students come from over 350 U.S. colleges and universities. All are pursuing advanced training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and many have conducted independent research. The conference is designed to encourage underrepresented minority students to pursue advanced training in STEM.

During the four-day conference, over 1,700 students participate in poster and oral presentations in 12 disciplines in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, including mathematics. All undergraduate student presentations are judged and those receiving the highest scores in each scientific discipline and in each educational level are given an award during the final banquet.