Presenter Information

Megan AndrewsFollow

Home City (lead presenter)

Covington

State (lead presenter)

Georgia

State Legislative House district of home address (lead presenter)

112

State Legislative Senate district of home address (lead presenter)

17

(Expected) Graduation Year (lead presenter)

2020

(Anticipated) Degree (lead presenter)

Chemistry

Mentor First Name

Wathsala

Mentor Last Name

Medalwa

Mentor Institution

Georgia College & State University

Mentor Email

wathsala.medawala@gcsu.edu

Dean First Name

Eirc

Dean Last Name

Tenbus

Dean Email Address

eric.tenbus@gcsu.edu

Additional Individuals To Be Notified

Wathsala Medawala, wathsala.medawala@gcsu.edu

Chavonda Mills, chavonda.mills@gcsu.edu

Ernie Kaninjing, ernie.kaninjing@gcsu.edu

Biographical Information

I have been doing undergraduate research since my freshman year. I was accepted into Dr. Medawala's research group in the Spring semester of my freshman year and was the recipient of a chemistry research scholarship that funds me $500 a semester for research. My first research project was the Screening of Potential Anticancer Drugs Targeting Topoisomerase II. The next and current research project I am working on in collaboration with Dr. Mills from Chemistry and Dr. Kaninjing from Public Health is this salivary study in order to understand how hormone levels in men of African descent may contribute to their risk of developing prostate cancer. I received funding through the MURACE summer research grant to work on this project over the summer. In addition to research experience, I have worked as a chemistry Supplementary Instructor (SI) for two semesters for Chemistry I and II. This position allowed me to strengthen my leadership and communication skills by acting as both a mentor and tutor for students who needed additional help outside of class. I also worked as the lab assistant for the Chemistry I class and supervised their experiments. I have also been actively involved in the Chemistry department at Georgia College. I have coordinated events for two years for NCW (National Chemistry Week) and have volunteered for events during it every year. I have also volunteered every year at the K-12 science fair in Milledgeville and been a judge.

Presentation Experience

I feel like I have had a good amount of presentation experience during my undergraduate experience. I have presented at a few research conferences including SERMACS in 2018, NCUR in 2019, Chemistry Department Showcase 2019, HMURS 2019, the MURACE Symposium 2019, and SERMACS 2019. I am also planning to present at several more conferences this semester and next semester. After completing my summer research under the MURACE summer research finding, I presented my research to my mentor, department chair, and another professor. A more informal setting that I have presented my research in is at the Research Mixer held in the Chemistry Department every year. I have also presented my research for my Chemistry and Biology seminar classes.

Title

A salivary hormonal study on individuals of African ancestry living in different socio-economic environments, in order to understand etiology of prostate cancer

Abstract

environments, in order to understand etiology of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer ranks high among some of the most serious public health problems that significantly impact the lives of men globally. Established risk factors for this disease include age, family history, and African ancestry. While the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer have decreased in the US in recent decades, men of African descent are disproportionately affected. To better understand the etiology of prostate cancer among men of African ancestry, this study examined hormonal differences among men of African descent living in different socio-economic environments by using their saliva samples to study their hormone levels. Using ELISA kits specific to either testosterone or cortisol, hormone levels were determined for each individual’s saliva using standards and low and high-quality control samples for validation. The saliva samples collected from individuals living in African countries (n=21) had a mean testosterone concentration of 93.43 pg/mL and standard deviation of 35.924 pg/mL while the mean cortisol concentration was 0.120 mg/dL and the standard deviation was 0.078 mg/dL. The saliva samples collected from individuals with African ancestry in the United States (n=84) had a mean testosterone concentration of 94.680 pg/mL with a standard deviation of 35.218 pg/mL while the mean cortisol concentration was found to be 0.136 mg/dL with a standard deviation of 0.101 mg/dL. This poster will explain data collected for both hormones for males living in African countries and the United States and will discuss whether these hormone levels can be used to determine individuals at risk for prostate cancer.

Disciplinary Significance

This research is significant because it addresses an important public health issue that affects minorities. It also brings awareness to the disproportional effect that prostate cancer has on men of African descent and seeks to understand why.

Funding

1

Funding Source

MURACE Summer Research Funding & Chemistry Research scholarship