Amanda Eisemann

My name is Amanda Eisemann. I graduated from Bridgeway Academy in Catasauqua, PA in 2010 and participated in the STEP@UCO Summer Bridge Program. My group worked with Dr. Michelle Haynie. We conducted research on the genetics of a species of wood rat found primarily in Arizona. I am now attending UCO as a freshman majoring in Biology and Forensic Science as well as continuing my research with Dr. Haynie.

Halie Ferguson

My name is Halie Ferguson. I'm a senior biology/pre-med major with minors in leadership and Spanish. I graduated from Choctaw High School in 2007 and was part of the Summer Bridge program the same year. In 2008, I was the Summer Bridge RA and peer mentor. I'm a part of Dr. Wei Chen's research group and have worked with him for the past four years. We conduct studies on photothermal treatment of cancer and immune responses through Photo-Dynamic Laser Immunotherapy. Currenltly, some group members and I are working to understand the immunological aspects of treated tumors at the cellular level through histological studies.

Halie received a bachelor’s degree in Biology in the Fall 2011 semester. She is currently working as a Research Assistant at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) College of Dentistry, and reports, “I greatly enjoy my job doing biological research!” She is working with biofilms of S. mutans, one of the leading bacterias that cause caries and recurrent caries in the human mouth, and the interaction and degradation of composite resins

Jade Pebworth

My name is Jade Pebworth and I am now a sophomore here at UCO. I am a Chemistry ACS major and I absolutely love it. I love being here at UCO because my professors are great and I’m close to home. I am a member of Sigma Kappa sorority and that keeps me very busy as it is. School has always been something I enjoy but I can’t wait to get a real job!

Daniel Figueroa

I am currently a senior majoring in Actuarial Science. I started college in 2008 and am hoping to graduate in December 2011. I was introduced to undergraduate research in the SURE-STEP Summer Bridge program during summer 2008, working with Dr. Wei Chen. I continue to work with him today with a focus on interstitial laser immunotherapy and interstitial thermal measurement. I was the peer mentor during the Summer 2009 Bridge Program and was an INBRE Student Researcher in 2010.

Daniel received a bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science in the Fall 2011 semester. Prior to graduation, he received the award for second place at the 2011 Research Day at the Capitol in the category of regional universities and community colleges for his poster, “Measurement of Photothermal Effect in Tissues with Near-Infrared Laser Delivered by Interstitial Cylindrical Fiber.” Daniel is now employed by the State of Oklahoma in the Insurance Department as an Actuary.

Katrina Hucks

My name is Katrina Hucks. I graduated from Putnam City High School in 2010 with a 4.1 weighted GPA. I attended the Biosciences and Medicine Academy at Francis Tuttle from 2007-2008, where I developed several of the skills I now possess. In 2010, I attended the Summer Bridge program and worked with Dr. Chris Butler. We banded black-chinned and ruby-throated hummingbirds in Chickasha, cleaned feathers, chopped feathers for stable isotope analysis, and we all skinned a bird to put in the museum. We also used the PCR machines to use DNA for sexing birds. In addition, we tested samples from hummingbird feeders in different conditions for clarity, bacteria, and yeast. I am majoring in biology and continuing my research with Dr. Butler this year. I hope to be able to improve the skills and techniques I learned over the summer. We have some exciting opportunities coming up, such as doing research on yellow rails in Oklahoma and Texas, and I am excited to be a part of them.

Jessnie Jose

I'm a freshman at UCO. I graduated from Putnam City North High School in 2010. I plan to graduate in Spring 2013 from UCO with a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry and attend medical school after graduation. I did research with Dr. Wei Chen over the summer. In Dr. Chen's research group, our focus was interstitial laser immunotherapy on tumors. I'm continuing to do research with him. Apart from focusing on the laser therapy, I'm also working with a mentor and others in the group and doing research on the histology of the tumors. Doing research at UCO has made me more passionate and even more in love with all aspects of science.

Brian Kliewer

My name is Brian Kliewer. I am currently a freshman at the University of Central Oklahoma. I am actively involved on campus with many organizations and am in the President's Leadership Council. Right now I am also working with Dr. Christopher Butler doing research on black chinned and ruby throated hummingbirds and soon will be working with yellow rails. I graduated from high school in a small town in Oklahoma called Cashion; without the Summer Bridge program and now the CURE S-STEM program, I would be lost. Both of these programs made the transition between high school to college a lot easier. I feel like the research that I have been helping with has deepened my passion for science.

Kelvin Le

After moving to the US from Vietnam when I was nine years old, I attended Putnam City Schools, graduating from Putnam City HS in 2007. I was admitted to UCO and participated in the Summer Bridge Program that year. I served as a student mentor in 2008. While at UCO, I have maintained a 4.0 GPA. I enjoy assisting Dr. Wei Chen in his cancer treatment research, specifically on MRI-guided laser immunotherapy for metastatic tumors. I participated in the INBRE Student Research program in 2009, also with Dr. Chen. In 2010, I was again accepted as an INBRE Student Researcher, working with Dr. David Dyer.

Kelvin received a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering in the Spring 2012 semester. He was named the College of Mathematics and Science Class Marshall, with an overall G.P.A. of 4.0. In addition, he was selected to receive a prestigious 2012 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship “based on his outstanding abilities and accomplishments” as well as his “potential to contribute to strengthening the vitality of the US science and engineering enterprise.”  Kelvin plans to attend the University of Texas in the fall to pursue a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering.

James Mathis

Hi, my name is James Mathis. I graduated from a small school in Waco, Texas where I played Varsity Tennis all four years. I came to UCO to study Biomedical Engineering and I plan to one day design prosthetics.

Brittany Myers

My name is Brittany Myers. I graduated from Wellston High School in May 2010. In July 2010, I attended the STEP Summer Bridge program working with Dr. Lemley in fluid dynamics. I am now a freshman at UCO, majoring in computer science and working with Dr. Fu on artificial intelligence.

Tobi Odejimi

I am Tobi Odejimi and I am a freshman at UCO in the class of 2014 majoring in biology. I graduated from Putnam City High School. During the summer before my freshman year, I participated in the Summer Bridge program at UCO where I worked with Dr. Mel Vaughan in the cell biology laboratory.

Aaron Papera

I am Aaron Papera, a freshman at UCO majoring in applied computer science.  I am a 2010 graduate of Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, OK. I currently live in Harrah, OK. My interest in computers began with my enjoyment of gaming. I went to the Mid-Del Vo-Tech my senior year and did computer-aided drafting/3-D modeling, and this kept me interested. I felt that a career in computers would be more valuable and a whole lot more fun than any other major I had considered.

Sean Pontius

My name is Sean Pontius. I am a freshman at UCO, majoring in biology. I graduated from Moore High School in 2010. This past summer I played American Legion baseball and worked with Dr. Lemley in the Summer Bridge Program. I am currently working with Dr. Chen, researching laser treatment with tumors. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with knowledgeable professors in the fields of science.

Heru Ra

I graduated from Luther High School in 2009 and began attending UCO that fall. I participated in the 2009 Summer Bridge program, and my group conducted research in the field of robotics. My research group studied and experimented with several engineering applications related to the field of robotics, and our main focus was geared specifically toward the application of an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle). I am currently pursuing a degree in computer science and my interests include computer science, technology, engineering, and music production.

Shey Ramsey

My name is Shey Ramsey. I graduated from Empire High School in 2010 and was part of the Summer Bridge program the same year. I am a freshman biology major and part of the Global Learning Community. I work with Dr. Michelle Haynie on the Mitochodrial D-loop part of the Neotoma albigula research project.

Seth Rowell

Hello my name is Seth Rowell. This summer I participated in the STEP@UCO Summer Bridge program. It was an excellent opportunity to gain a head-start on the upcoming semester. I had a lot of fun working in the lab and meeting new people along the way. After participating in the program I received a CURE S-STEM scholarship and was placed in the biomedical learning community. The learning community helps bring students in the same general studies courses together where we are able to help and learn from one another. I would recommend it to all who are looking to study in science and mathematics fields.

Amanda Walker

My name is Amanda Walker and I am from Charlottesville, Virginia where I graduated from Monticello High School. I am currently a Sophomore at UCO majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Forensic Science while minoring in Mathematics and Engineering Physics. I participated in the 2009 STEP Summer Bridge program with Dr. Chen and have continued working in his research lab.

Jessica Webb

I am a junior-level student working towards a Biomedical Engineering degree.  I will also grab some minors in chemistry and mathematics.  My favorite subject is mathematics because it is straightforward, but I fear majoring in it would make me hate it.  So I will instead apply what I get from the minor to everything else I have to study.  My faculty mentor is Dr. Melville B. Vaughan.  The research we do concerns tension generation by precancerous skin cells, known as Ker-CT-Ras, when they invade the dermis.  I presented a poster in the fall of 2012 for the OK-LSAMP Symposium.  I plan to present the research again at the winter Sigma Xi conference and Spring 2013 Oklahoma Research Day.

Robert Harden

I am a Freshman here at UCO with majors in Forensic Science and Computer Science. I was a part of the 2010 Summer Bridge Program and am continuing to do research under the supervision of Dr. Fu. Before coming to UCO, I earned the title of Eagle Scout, the Intel Excellence In Computer Science, Yale Science Award at the Northwestern Oklahoma Regional Science Fair, and my State FFA Degree. I was a member of the Oklahoma and National Honor Society.

Winnifred Pipkin

I grew up in Duncan, Oklahoma and graduated from Duncan High School. After graduating I participated in the 2010 STEP@UCO Summer Bridge program. I was selected to work in a group under Dr. Michelle Haynie and am honored to have continued doing so. I am currently a freshman majoring in Biology and am contemplating a possible minor in Chemistry.

Ronnie Gainer

I was salutatorian of the 2010 graduating class at Pioneer High School. I worked with Dr. Jicheng Fu in the Summer Bridge program. We worked on creating a smart phone application for UCO events. I made many friends and still talk to everyone in my group. I am majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. I participate in many volunteer events and enjoy spending my free time at the SPCA. I am very thankful for the opportunities STEP and S-STEM have given me. These programs have helped me significantly with the transition from high school to college.

Jenna Saldivar

My name is Jenna Saldivar and I graduated from Plano Senior High School in Texas in 2010. My 2010 Summer Bridge program group worked with Dr. Haynie on a species of woodrat. I am currently a freshman at the University of Central Oklahoma and I am continuing to do research with James Creecy during school. I am majoring in Biology and Forensics and I feel that the research on DNA with Mr. Creecy has increased my love for the sciences. 

Stormy Walkup

I'm currently a Senior Biology/Pre-Med major with minors in Chemistry and Business Administration. I graduated from Valliant High School in 2007 and was part of the SURE-STEP Summer Bridge program the same year. I worked under Dr. Fakhrildeen Albahadily studying the chemical composition of biodiesel. It was enjoyable as biodiesel is a very real alternative fuel. I'm thankful and excited to be part of the CURE S-STEM program.

Stormy received a bachelor’s degree in Biology in the Spring 2012 semester. He plans to attend medical school at the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in the fall.

Destiny Brown

I am currently a Sophomore double majoring in Chemistry-Health Sciences and Nutrition.  I am actively involved in the STEP@UCO Program, the UCO Leaders of Tomorrow Council, the Student Dietetic Association, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, and Sigma Phi Lambda.  I graduated from the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, and participated in the STEP@UCO Summer Bridge Program in 2010.  I spent my Freshman year doing undergraduate research working with Dr. Wei Chen, studying and developing interstitial laser Immuno-therapy for breast cancer tumors.  I have a passion for cancer-related research, and will one day become a Registered Dietician specializing in Oncology Nutrition while also continuing to work in the research field.

Keely Thompson

I am an Electrical Engineering major. I graduated from Dickson High School in Ardmore, Ok in 2010. That summer, I was accepted into the Summer Bridge program and studied/researched Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and engineering under Dr. Baha Jassemnejad.  My research group from Summer Bridge is currently working on a solar-powered boat project and we hope to race in the Solar Splash competition in the summer of 2012. I am also a member of the UCO colorguard and I coach competitive gymnastics part time. 

Hannah Davidson

I have done research for Dr. Lord, in the field and in the lab. After getting my Biology degree, my goal is to go to PA school and specialize to be a surgical PA. I graduated fall 2012 with a Biology degree.

Holly Hibdon

Graduating from Southeast High School in May 2011, I decided to go to UCO to continue my education. I am currently a freshman majoring in Biology at UCO. I participated in the Summer Bridge program in the summer of 2011. Dr. Butler was my mentor and now I am doing research with Dr. Butler on Black Rails. I aspire to be a vet and specialize in birds.

Abby Ferguson

I am Abby Ferguson. I am a freshman biology major. I work with Dr. Haynie doing research on pocket gophers. I have grown up in Oklahoma and am trying to figure out if I want to be a veterinarian for exotic pets, a chiropractor, research large mammals or something else in biology.

Christopher Wise

I am a graduate from Star Spencer High School. I played football, wrestled, and was part of the National Honor Society. I am a freshman majoring in Engineering/Physics - Electrical Systems. I participated in the 2011 STEP program where I conducted research with Dr. Ciungu and it was a great experience. Currently, I am conducting research with Dr. Ciungu along with three others and I am also part of the CURE-SSS-STEM program.

Sarah Seiter

I am currently a freshman majoring in Biology Premed with a minor in Community Health. I graduated from Edmond Santa Fe High School as a salutatorian. I participated in the Summer Bridge Program in 2011 doing research with Dr. Butler, and I am going to start microbiology research next semester with Dr. Brennan. I currently volunteer at the Children's Hospital in Bethany, and I dream of becoming a PA or Physician someday.

John Sluder

I'm John Sluder and I graduated from Vici High School. I have pretty much moved around my whole life, spanning from Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma. I currently major in Computer Science. I participated in the 2011 STEP@UCO Summer Bridge program to do research with Dr. Fu on Android applications. My group is designing a map and activities application for Android users in order to reduce paper consumption as well as assisting students with campus information. My research group hopes to bring an intuitive application that is user friendly and associate the application to mobile/cloud computing. My interest in computer science comes from my fascination with nature, logic, and the universe. I hope to apply what I learn through the STEP program to have a better understanding of science itself.

Luis Figueroa

My name is Luis Figueroa. I graduated from Duncan High School in 2011, and I am currently a chemistry major. Being a freshman has not stopped me from being involved in campus and I am in clubs like the Native American Student Association (NASA), Hispanic American Student Services (HASA), and the Chemistry Club. While attending the Summer Bridge program in 2011, I studied under Dr. Lavina Ciungu performing both encryption and decryption functions. Today I am continuing my research with her, but may switch to a new research project with another professor to further my career in chemistry.

Mellisa Chigwedere

My name is Mellisa Chigwedere. I am originally from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I graduated from Plano West High School in Texas. I participated in the STEP Summer Bridge Program in Summer 2011 and I got to work with Dr. Haynie. My major is Biology/Premed.

Adam Dorety

My name is Adam Dorety, I just finished my freshman year at UCO. I participated in the summer 2011 Summer Bridge program under Dr. Baha Jassemnejad. I learned a great deal about the fundamentals of engineering during that summer. My group was presented with the task of building an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). We successfully did so, and are continuing our research today. We presented our research at the Oklahoma Research Day at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, this last year. I am traveling to San Antonio this summer to present the ROV work at the 2012 American Society of Engineering Educators Conference. It is a blessing and an honor to be a part of STEM, and wouldn't change my last year for anything! We have built up our ROV research team and are hoping to compete in the 2013 MATE ROV competition in Orlando, Florida.

Haley Brown

Hello, my name is Haley Brown and I am currently a sophomore at UCO studying Biology. I plan to continue my research in the Fall 2012. My future plans are to attend medical school and eventually become an OB/GYN.

Jessica Laverty

My name is Jessica Laverty and my major is Chemistry-ACS, Pre-Med. After graduating from UCO I want to go to Medical School and hopefully one day become a doctor, or conduct medical research. I am currently doing research with Dr. Meier working with transition medals.

Megan Webb

My name is Megan Webb and I graduated from Healdton High School. I am a Biology major. During the Summer Bridge program I did research under Dr. Meier. This research helped me see the significance of research and how it applies to the real world.

Jennifer Jacob

I joined CURE-STEM during the summer of 2011. When I joined I was working with Dr. Haynie doing research on Neotoma. We used the DNA to look at areas of hybridization. During the school year I worked under one of Dr. Haynie’s graduate students in looking at a different type of Neotoma. We analyzed DNA to find out what kind of hybridizations occurred and in what areas.

Danielle Howard

My name is Danielle Howard. I participated in the Summer Bridge program in the summer of 2011. I worked with Dr. Haynie's group on Neotoma Albigula. I am currently a sophomore at UCO and am majoring in Biology/Pre-Med. After graduation, I plan to attend medical school and become a neonatologist.

Whitney King

I graduated from Inola High School as a valedictorian. I am majoring in biology so that I can continue on with my education and attend medical school in order to become a cardio thoracic surgeon. I worked with Dr. Evan Lemley this past summer during the summer bridge program and we built a laser apparatus. The contraption allows a high-speed camera to capture the particles in beakers of algae to showcase the fluid flow in the beakers at any given height. We are currently working on a project associated with renal artery aneurysms in kidneys. I look forward to many more years of research!

Brock Henderson

My name is Brock Henderson and I graduated from Union High School.   I am a freshman majoring in Biomedical Engineering.  I was part of Summer Bridge studying hummingbirds under Dr. Butler in various parts of Oklahoma and Texas.  But, currently I’m working under Dr. Chen on using laser immunotherapy as treatment for cancer.  Eventually, I want to attend medical school and become a radiologist.

Yoselin Vallejos

Hey! My name is Yoselin Vallejos! I'm a Southmoore High School graduate! Southmoore is located in Moore, Oklahoma, south of Edmond. I will be double majoring in Biology and Forensics with a minor in Chemistry. Even though I know this will definitely remain my major I still don’t exactly have planned out what I want my actual career to be, I just know I’ll be in school for a long time because I either want a PhD or a M.D. and it’ll take a while.  This summer I had the honor of working with Dr. Wayne Lord. The research we did was based on bees and their ability to use scent to find things, we were trying to discover whether, like their ancestors the wasps, they had a primal instinct to use scent to hunt and find things like land mines and dead bodies. During this school year I will continue to work with Dr. Lord on the bee research as well as join one of his graduate students on a different research assignment. I’m excited for what my future in science holds!

Jessica Sanders

I graduated as a Salutatorian at Woodward High School in 2012. I participated in the STEP @ UCO Summer Bridge Program in the summer of 2012. I am currently a freshman and I am majoring in Computer Science. While in the bridge program, I worked with Dr. Fu.

Meghan McAnally

My name is Meghan Nicole McAnally. I was born in Carrolton, Texas in March 1994.  I graduated high school from Oklahoma Bible Academy in Enid, Oklahoma in May 2012.  I am currently majoring in mathematics at the University of Central Oklahoma.  I am also planning to get minors in both German and Physics.  My final goal is to obtain my PhD. and teach at the college/university level.

Colby Evans

My name is Colby Evans. I am a Chemistry-ACS major and I am doing research with Dr. Chooback. The research is aimed at making an anti-bacterial drug via inhibiting the lysine biosynthetic pathway in the bacteria. I also enjoy longboarding and playing guitar and flute.

Brenden Balch

Brenden Balch enjoys going to the University of Central Oklahoma to study mathematics. He has attended Summer Bridge to study Cryptography with some of the best professors at UCO. He has also attended a National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington D.C. where he learned much about criminal justice and the how the court system works.

Cody Bahavar

My name is Cody Bahavar. I graduated from Edmond Santa Fe High School. I am currently a freshman majoring in Biomedical Engineering and plan on going to medical school. This summer I participated in STEP@UCO and worked with Dr. Chen doing interstitial laser immunotherapy on tumors. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend it for any future UCO students who plan on pursuing a STEM major. I am still working in Dr. Chen’s group doing animal studies and also working on finding the viscosity of an immunoadjuvant called Glycated Chitosan. I love the research that I do and am extremely proud to be a CURE S-STEM Scholar!

Zachary Burton

My name is Zachary Burton. I graduated from Choctaw High school and am an incoming freshman. I am majoring in premedical Biology and participated in the STEP@UCO research program by working with Dr. Wei Chen on the basics of his laser immunotherapy treatment for metastatic cancer. I am now volunteering with Dr. Eric Howard at the University of Central Oklahoma Health and Science Center studying cancer cells. I plan on continuing a career in research and development.

Lillian Seay

My name is Lillian Seay and I graduated from Carl Albert High School. I was in the Summer Bridge program working with Dr. Lemley. My major is Engineering and Physics: Electrical Systems. In the future, I hope to be working for Boeing as an electrical engineer.

Taylor Murray

My name is Taylor Murray. I graduated from Davis High School. I am currently a freshman. This summer I attended Summer Bridge and worked with Dr. Chooback. I am not doing research right now, but I would like to. I am double majoring in Chemistry Health Sciences and Biology.

Samuel Heinitz

My name is Samuel Heinitz. I am currently a freshman here at UCO and my major is aerospace engineering. I am studying two years at UCO and two years at OSU.

Braxton Douthit

My name is Braxton Douthit. I graduated from Meeker High School, and attended the Summer Bridge '12 program. I worked with Professor Lillian Chooback, and am currently shadowing the current research team. I am majoring in Chemistry-ACS and then plan on transferring up to OU to finish in Pharmacy. In my spare time I enjoy reading, playing music, and working on my Facebook story: Transparent Supernova.

Quyen Vo

My name is Quyen Vo. I am from Viet Nam. I have been in the United States for 2 years. I participated in the Summer Bridge 2012 at UCO. I did research about the function of amino acid in cancer prevention with Dr. Chooback. This was a great opportunity for me to gain lab experience and learn many interesting things about cancer and its treatments. I also learned many valuable things from other professors of the Summer Bridge program. Now, I am a freshman at UCO. My major is chemistry.

Jacob Ward

My name is Jacob Ward. I was born in Ft. Hood, Texas. I grew up and graduated high school in Warner, Oklahoma at Warner High School. Now I am a UCO ROTC Cadet with the national 4-year scholarship. I spent the previous summer studying hummingbirds with Dr. Butler and still continuing my studies. I am a biology major with an emphasis on pre-med and plan on attending medical school to become a trauma physician or branch in aviation in the military  to be an aeromedical evacuator.

Zach Potts

Hello my name is Zach Potts I graduated from Blanchard high schools in Oklahoma. I spent this summer researching with Dr. Fu and his artificial intelligence program for wheelchairs. He now has my position as data analysis within his research group. I'm majoring in Electrical Engineering and plan to graduate from UCO.

Janelle Martinez

My name is Janelle Martinez. I am 19 years old. I currently live on campus in the Suites.  I am freshman in the STEM program. I am currently Biology Pre-Med major.  I intend to go to medical school after getting my biology degree. I want to work with children, I know that for sure. I like solving problems and taking on the most challenging issues. I am currently working with Dr. Vaughan and cell research. I love science and look forward to the next years doing research.

Jordyn Vargas

My name is Jordyn Vargas. I was in Summerbridge this summer and studied with Dr. Lord. I have researched with him this fall and plan on continuing research with him here at UCO. I have decided to study Biology. I graduated as valedictorian from Madill High School. I have played the piano for about 11 years. I am also on the rowing team here at UCO and a member of Sigma Phi Lambda.

Nikolas Wagner

Hi, I’m Nikolas Wagner. I am currently a freshman at UCO. My major is engineering physics-mechanical systems. I did work under Dr. Lavinia Ciungu during Summer Bridge, but now because I am engineering major I have switched to Dr. Gang Xu. Since he is a new professor here, he is having me help set up his lab so he can start doing research sooner.

Jane John

My name is Jane John. I was involved in the 2012 Summerbridge Program. I worked with Dr. Butler in the Hummingbird Program. I was able to learn a lot from him and so I decided to continue with the program during my fall semester. I graduated as a Valedictorian from Piedmont High School. My major is Biology and I plan on continuing my education and eventually becoming an Optometrist. Some hobbies of mine include playing sports, listening to music, and playing guitar.

Vince Dao

Hello, I am Vince Dao. I graduated from Ardmore High School in May 2012. During the Summer Bridge program I was researching different amino groups in proteins under the supervision of Dr. Lilian Chooback. Participating in Summer Bridge has improved my laboratory skills, allowed me to meet wonderful people, and helped me become more involved on campus. I am majoring in Chemistry and plan to become a Dentist.

Alexia Gonzalez

My name is Alexia Gonzalez. I graduated from Deer Creek High School after spending my first three years at Harding Fine Arts Academy. This summer I had the privilege to be a part of the Summer Bridge program and work with Dr. Wayne Lord. I am now involved in several research projects at UCO. I am currently a pre-med Biology major and hope to become a general practitioner someday. As much as I love the sciences, I'm also a huge advocate of the arts. In my spare time I love to draw, paint, sculpt, and play the guitar.

Michael Jordan

My name is Michael Jordan. I graduated from Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C. on June 8, 2012. During the Summer Bridge program I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Lord and did a lot of interesting field work. Participating in this program really helped my lab skills and paper writing skills. It was an overall honor to be chosen to be a part of the program. I plan to use what I learn from this program and pursue my dream by becoming a doctor.