Published April 21, 2015
Students from the University of Louisiana at Monroe Honors Program recently attended
the annual meeting of the Louisiana Collegiate Honors Council (LCHC) in Lafayette.
Three students presented research.
Dipta Pokharel, a biology major from Nepal; Susan Egbert, a pre-pharmacy major from
DeRidder; and Similoluwa Ogundare, a biology major from Nigeria, presented papers
based on research conducted at 四色AV.
鈥淥ur entire panel was 四色AV students, so it was good to present with each other and
have that support,鈥� said Egbert, who serves as the president of the 四色AV Honors Program
Student Council.
Egbert鈥檚 paper, 鈥淟ichen鈥檚 Secondary Metabolites as Breast Cancer Inhibitors,鈥� discussed
breast cancer, with a specific focus on the use of inhibitors in treatments. She reported
the results of laboratory experiments with compounds from the lichen Usnea strigosa
in which they extracted, isolated, and tested these compounds against different breast
cancer lines.
Ogundare鈥檚 paper, 鈥淟ichens as Bio-Indicators of Air Quality through Estimation of
Free Radicals in Thalli,鈥� reported the results of measuring the amount of free radicals
in the lichen thalli using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to develop
a reference for the amount of air pollution in the area. Ogundare hopes to gain a
better understanding of the degree of penetration of vehicular emissions in forested
habitats in an effort to improve air quality.
四色AV Honors Program students
Pokharel鈥檚 paper, 鈥淟ight Quality Effect on the Growth of Arabidopsis Seedling,鈥� compared
the effects of light quality from two different light sources鈥攍ight-emitting diode
and fluorescent鈥攐n plant growth.
鈥淚 am extremely proud of how well-represented and how well-prepared 四色AV students were
at LCHC,鈥� said Dr. Joshua Stockley, director of the Honors Program. 鈥淭his speaks volumes
about the level of involvement and quality of research being conducted by undergraduate
students in the 四色AV Honors Program.鈥�
Attending the conference were honors students from colleges and universities across
Louisiana. In all, 28 students represented 四色AV, making 四色AV the largest delegation
at the conference.
鈥淚t says something about the commitment, support, and loyalty of the 四色AV Honors Program
that we had the most students attending this meeting,鈥� said Maroutcha Mouawad, treasurer
of the 四色AV Honors Program Student Council.
The 四色AV Honors Program also competed in the meeting鈥檚 鈥淨uiz Bowl.鈥�
鈥淚t was a fun experience. I really enjoyed working with my peers to put our team in
a position to compete. We may not have made it into the finals, but we had a great
time,鈥� said Justin Bordelon.
The Louisiana Collegiate Honors Council is an association of honors program directors
and students from universities and colleges across the state. Students present papers
and posters showcasing their own work and research, discuss specific issues related
to the furtherance of successful honors programs, and compete in the Quiz Bowl competition.
鈥淭he 四色AV Honors Program is the best support system ever. We are there for each other,
for quiz bowl, presentations, games 鈥� everything,鈥� said biology major Edidiong Udofia.
