Recent Publications and Presentations from SPARC4 Students
Jonathan Williams, UNC Charlotte:
Ford A., Kepple D., Williams J., Kolesar G., Ford C.T., Abebe A., Golassa J., Janies D.A., Yewhalaw D., Lo, E. 2022. Gene Polymorphisms among Plasmodium vivax geographical isolates and the potential as new biomarkers for gametocyte detection. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 11: 789417. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.789417
Williams J, Kepple D, Lo E. Discovering New Successful Biomarkers for Gametocyte Detection in Plasmodium vivax Geographical Isolates. 2022 Undergraduate Research Conference at UNC-Charlotte; Charlotte, NC (oral presentation)
Fiona Clark, UNC Charlotte:
Clark, Fiona. 2021. DNA Demethylation in Nematostella vectensis. State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium
RCCC SPARC Scholarship propels talented STEM students toward dreams
SALISBURY — Sophia Wingo is always looking forward.
As a student in the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College SPARC (Stem Persistence and Retention via Curricula, Centralization, Cohorts and Collaboration) scholarship program, she is immersing herself in science and constantly looking for ways to improve the world around her. (Read Full Article Here)
Community College SPARC4 Students Visit UNC Charlotte
Students, faculty and staff from Gaston College and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College visited the UNC Charlotte Biological Sciences Department in August 2018 to meet with faculty, advisors and UNC Charlotte students. They toured labs and heard updates and built connections with faculty and current undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
They also met with Elizabeth Stearns, who is the SPARC4 project director, and with Biological Sciences’ Academic Vice Chair Stanley Schneider and Sharon Bullock of the Biological Sciences faculty, who went over expectations and tools that will be available to the students. The SPARC4 initiative is designed to connect these students with UNC Charlotte even before they transfer from their community colleges.
Collaboration Seeks To Change Lives and Education
Academically talented, low-income students who want to study biological sciences can find life-changing opportunities through a new regional partnership among UNC Charlotte, Gaston College and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.
This innovative initiative, announced in April 2018, is possible as a result of $4.5 million in funding from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program. The collaborative effort seeks to increase the number of students who complete both associate of science and bachelor’s of science degrees in the biological sciences.
The initiative – called the SPARC4, or STEM Persistence and Retention via Curricula, Centralization, Cohorts, and Collaboration Project – will provide 156 scholarships over five years, beginning in fall 2018. The initiative is an expansion and scale-up of a project at Gaston College called SPARC3 that resulted in improved academic scores for the participating students and higher percentages of that college’s students completing their associate degrees when compared to the college’s general population.
For each year of the new initiative, 10-12 students at each community college will be chosen for one-year renewable scholarships, faculty and peer mentoring, and targeted advising designed to promote successful transfer to the biology or pre-biology major at UNC Charlotte in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Students will be eligible for continued scholarships and academic support when they transfer to UNC Charlotte.
(Pictured: Students in a cell biology lab at UNC Charlotte conduct experiments as part of their class. SPARC4 scholars will benefit from similar hands-on research and collaboration.) Read More >>