FAPC graduate students claim honors at OSU Research Symposium
By Kylee Willard
FAPC Communications Services Graduate Assistant
(Stillwater, Okla. – April 15, 2011)Graduate students of Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center claim first and second prize for their graduate poster presentations in biological sciences at the 22nd Annual OSU Research Symposium.
Lina Ramirez-Lopez, FAPC food science graduate student, was awarded first place for her poster presentation titled Characterization of Polyphenols in Cynthiana Grapes.
“I am very happy to receive this recognition,” Ramirez-Lopez said. “The many hours of research and hard work have paid off.”
Ramirez-Lopez credits Christina DeWitt, former FAPC food chemist, for her research instruction and encouragement to participate in the OSU Research Symposium. Following Ramirez-Lopez’s December 2011 graduation, she plans to work as a post doc to gain more experience before going into industry.
Preetty Pranatharthiharan, FAPC food science graduate student, was awarded second prize for her graduate poster presentation titled Scanning Electron Microscopic Analysis of Sanitizer Effectiveness and Enzymatic Detachment Interventions for Strongly-adherent Strains of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes from Environmental Surfaces.
“I am definitely delighted about winning the prize,” Pranatharthiharan said. “It is nice to share my work in the lab with others and be rewarded for it.”
Pranatharthiharan is set to graduate in December 2011 and plans to work in the food science industry before pursuing a doctoral degree.
“It is great to see Preetty’s research recognized on the larger scale of the entire OSU campus during OSU’s annual Research Week,” said Peter Muriana, FAPC food microbiologist and Pranatharthiharan’s research adviser. “She is hardworking and deserving of the award. In the end, it is the food industry that will benefit the most from our research endeavors, which is always intended to help improve food safety.”
The OSU Graduate and Professional Student Government Association, the Office of Vice-President of Research and Technology Transfer, and the Graduate College sponsored the OSU Research Symposium.
Ramirez-Lopez and Pranatharthiharan will receive monetary awards of $100 and $50 at the OSU Research Symposium Award Reception on April 21 at the Noble Research Center.
Roy Escoubas, FAPC director, said it is an honor to have FAPC student research recognized.
“The OSU Research Symposium is a great way for FAPC students to showcase their research,” Escoubas said. “This research is helping to make great strides in the food industry.”
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Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant system that cuts across disciplines to better prepare students for a new world. Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach. OSU has more than 32,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 19,000 on its Stillwater campus; with students from all 50 states and about 110 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 200,000 students who have made a lasting impact on Oklahoma and the world. CREATE - INNOVATE - EDUCATE - GO STATE!
