Emmanuella Kyllians wins awards for her scientific research during two virtual conferences
The biological research of an Alcorn State University student was awarded during two virtual conferences that are centered on acknowledging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students.
Emmanuella Kyllians, a senior biology major from Nigeria, won Oral Presentation Awards during the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) and the Mount Sinai Biomedical Research Symposium for Underrepresented Scholars. Her project was titled “Modeling the Impact of Nutrient Malabsorption on the Gut Microbiome in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”
ABRCMS is one of the largest professional conferences for underrepresented students. The organization also provides program directors and faculty with the tools they need to help their students succeed.
The Mount Sinai Biomedical Research Symposium for Underrepresented Scholars promotes diversity and inclusion in research, clinical care, and education.
Seeing her work result in victories made Kyllians’ experience worth all of the time she put into her project.
“It feels empowering because all of the time and effort I put into my research and presentation were not in vain,” said Kyllians.
The conferences opened the door for Kyllians to dive into metabolic diseases, which is a topic that piqued her interest for some time.
“I have always had an interest in metabolic diseases and the different lenses through which they could be studied. Also, I could not pass up the opportunity to engage in computational research and work with the gut microbiome.”
Kyllians is grateful to her mentors in the Department of Biology and the Alcorn Writing Center for equipping her with the scientific knowledge and presentation skills to be successful.
“Being an Alcornite means access to people that push me to aim higher than my dreams. Working as a research assistant at the laboratory taught me discipline and critical thinking in the sciences. Also, as a consultant at the Alcorn Writing Center, I gained experience in giving oral presentations and analyzing research journals.”
