Second Century Initiative (2CI) Fellow Krishna Kiran has completed a 1-year research project as part of a global health research fellowship funded by the Fogarty International Center, a division of the National Institutes of Health, researched sociological risk factors that put transgender women and MSM populations at higher risk for HIV.
Second Century Initiative (2CI) Fellow Olivia Tomeo is studying the relationship between hormones and risk-taking behavior through an interesting combination: monkeys, banana-flavored pellets, and a joystick.
Tomeo, from Fairfield, Conn., began her college career at Bucknell University where she received her bachelor’s degree in animal behavior and Spanish. She chose to attend Georgia State because of the resources available at the university’s Language Research Center, as a part of the Cognitive Sciences program.
“The resources available through Georgia State’s Language Research Center played a huge role in why I decided to attend Georgia State,” she said. “I was specifically interested in the Cognitive Sciences program because it offered an interdisciplinary approach to what I’m interested in studying. It allows me to be able to conduct my research in new and exciting ways.”
Second Century Initiative (2CI) Fellow Alexandra Yep is researching the formation of young stars in the Gum Nebula, an emission nebula that extends across the southern constellations. Southern constellations reside south of the equator and can be better seen from the southern hemisphere. According to Yep, the formation of these stars is specifically interesting because unlike most stars, these stars formed with the help of an external force: other stars.
“Whereas a lot of stars form from just a huge clump of gas and dust, these stars formed in a smaller clump with the help of external energy coming in from some nearby hot stars. These hot stars shined on these clumps of gas, producing a high radiation environment that helped them collapse into stars,” said Yep. “We’re interested in seeing if the stars formed in this high radiation environment would look any different from the stars formed in this typical, gravity based, big cloud of gas and dust.”
After she earns her Ph.D., Yep says she would love to teach astronomy and conduct more research. She says the financial assistance of the 2CI has helped her tremendously.
Former Second Century Initiative (2CI) Fellow Khalil Thompson is studying a branch of psychology that gives researchers a better understanding of the brain and social behavior in people who are anxious.
Thompson, from Sacramento, Calif., began his college career at Xavier University in New Orleans, where he received his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in chemistry. He chose Georgia State for his Ph.D. program because of the university’s Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience program.
Thompson said he has been interested in psychology since he was in high school but has always wanted to learn more than just the basic theories of psychology. It is that desire that caused Thompson to pursue a doctorate degree in cognitive neuroscience, which allows him to examine relationships among behavior, emotion, and cognition, as well as brain function.
Former Second Century Initiative (2CI) fellow and Ph.D. student in biology Alex Thomas has received a prestigious fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH): the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA).
Thomas, from Macon, Ga., was a 2CI Fellow in the Obesity Reversal and Neuroimmunology & Cardiometabolic Diseases cluster at Georgia State.
The NRSA that Thomas received is a highly competitive predoctoral fellowship awarded by the NIH. Thomas won this award based upon the submission of his research on ghrelin, a hunger hormone found in the stomach. With the support of his advisor Dr. Bingzhong Xue, a professor of biology, Thomas is attempting to discover how ghrelin is integrated by the part of the nervous system responsible for communication between the brain and other bodily extremities: the peripheral nervous system. He described this process as peripheral ground signaling and according to Thomas, it’s a process that has never been described before.
Second Century Initiative Fellow Jamal Jones, who is graduating with a Ph.D. from the Georgia State University School of Public Health, has made it his mission to research and find effective ways to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in urban, African-American communities.
Jones, who is earning his Ph.D. in epidemiology, created a social media campaign to encourage young, black men in Atlanta to get tested for the virus as part of his dissertation. The Courage2Test campaign included several social events in and around Georgia State’s campus involving student groups such as Greek Life, and community nonprofits that specialize in HIV testing. While small, the campaign was successful. His study showed an uptick in the number of students who reported getting tested for HIV during Courage2Test’s three-month run.
