April 11, 2011 | April 11, 2011 | For third-year pharmacy student Sarah Norman, it was the clinical aspect – testing a treatment for a bacterial infection in cystic fibrosis patients – that interested her.

“You get to see the application of the science to find the best results for helping the patient,” she said.

While pursuing her pharmacy degree, along with a dual degree in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, Norman discovered her research interest during a 10-week summer research fellowship. This led her to the poster display at the UAMS Student Research Day that suggested potential dosing options for treating the Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in pediatric CF patients.

Student Research Day at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) drew more than 100 research displays with topics ranging from potential new treatments of rare disease to methods for increasing exercise efficiency.

The research poster session, featuring 123 student projects from all five UAMS colleges and the Graduate School along with resident physicians, stretched across lobbies in the College of Public Health Building and I . Dodd Wilson Education Building on April 1. While individual colleges have staged student research days, this was the first time the event went campuswide.

“Students and medical residents are involved in nearly all the research conducted at UAMS, so having Student Research Day as a campuswide affair gives us the chance to showcase the depth and breadth of that work,” said Lawrence E. Cornett, Ph.D., executive associate dean for research in the UAMS College of Medicine and vice chancellor for research.

The campus event also provides an opportunity for students and research advisors to interact with student investigators from other colleges, he said. These interactions can lead to interdisciplinary research.

Faculty members and students mingled during the morning and afternoon poster sessions, asking questions of the student investigators – most of whom stood next to displays. Cornett said some students previously presented their research at national meetings or will do so in the future.

“Communications is an important skill for researchers to have,” Cornett said. “Investigators must be able to communicate the importance of their research as well as their findings to be successful researchers and this gives them another chance to hone those skills.”

Josh Calloway, a graduate student in the biostatistics program of the College of Public Health, used statistical analysis of exercise – measuring variables from heart rate to respiration to exercise intensity – to help increase endurance and metabolic efficiency. The topic mixed his attraction to math and statistical analysis with an interest in physiology.

“Mathematics connects everything and can be applied to anything,” Calloway said. “I thought this was a project that intersected nicely with public health because we all want to find ways to be healthier.”

Meghan Sherman, a student in the genetics counseling program of the College of Health Related Professions, explored the support available to Arkansas families dealing with Williams Syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental genetic condition. As the symptoms of the condition couple a developmental delay with unusually strong language skills, it can be overlooked, she said, though it can carry life-threatening health problems.

Sherman said her research estimated 20 or more Arkansas families could be affected by the condition. Without a proper diagnosis, she said, those children and families could be missing out on support groups and treatments that could improve their quality of life.

Student Research Day also featured displays and representatives from the 14 research facility cores at UAMS, where shared tools are available to researchers across all disciplines to advance their work.