Rossymar “Ross” Rivera Colón, a PhD student mentored by Kristin Anderson, PhD, won the third place and audience choice prizes at this year’s UVA Grad Thesis Slam. The event, put on by the university’s PhD+ program, challenges graduate students to present their research in three minutes with only one slide and without using technical language. Ross’ talk, “Giving T Cells Their Power Back,” drew on comic books and superhero movies to explain how she uses advanced cellular engineering to help the immune system target and destroy cancer cells. Ross also explained how her personal experiences with cancer motivate her work.
Ross has extensive experience doing community outreach, including at the recent 45th Annual Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair (VPRSF), where she volunteered with other UVA graduate students to judge student projects. The event drew over 200 students from 30 schools in the region.
Other CIC-affiliated students presented at the Thesis Slam. Emily Grayson, advised by Anne Sperling, PhD, presented on her research exploring environmental origins of childhood asthma, while Ariana Sabzevari, mentored by Tom Loughran, MD, presented on her efforts to develop a cure for a currently-untreatable blood cancer.