Students complete summer research projects
Each year, 5 SURF fellows are selected from an outstanding pool of applicants; in 2008 there were more than 30 applications for the 5 training positions. 
From left, 2008 Students: Allen McDonald, Geri Gaskell, Rebecca Sattler-Leja,
Eileen Rodriquez. Not shown: Lauren Knupp,
Eunjung (Angel) Park, Pooja Patel.
Short Bios below.
The selected fellows conduct a 10-week long summer research project under the guidance of a Department faculty member, as well as postdoctoral fellows and other undergraduate students working in the host lab.
At the close of the summer the fellows participate in an undergraduate research symposium. In addition to the ASPET-SURF fellows, other summer students also participate in the research symposia. During this past summer (2008), the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology hosted 17 summer undergraduate research students! Below is a brief biography and summary of the research project of some of our summer research fellows.
Geri Gaskell will be a senior at Alma College (Michigan) where she is an Exercise and Health Science major. Geri did her summer research project in the laboratory of Dr. Stephanie Watts where she also worked closely with Dr. Elizabeth Linder. Geri studied serotonin receptors expressed by venous smooth muscle cells.
Lauren Knupp (shown making her research presentation) will be a sophomore at Michigan State University where she is a Physiology major. Lauren was an ASPET summer undergraduate research fellow conducted and she did her research project in the laboratory of Drs. Carrie Northcott and JR Haywood. Lauren studied the actions of centrally administered angiotensin on blood pressure and oxidative stress in the brain.
Eunjung (Angel) Park is entering her junior year at Amherst College (Massachusetts) where she is a Mathematics major. Angel was an ASEPT summer undergraduate research fellow. Her summer research project was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Jim Galligan. Angel studied serotonin receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells and on sympathetic nerve terminals in mesenteric arteries and veins from normal and hypertensive rats.
Pooja Patel is entering her senior year at Drake University (Iowa) where she is a Cell and Molecular Biology major. Pooja was also an ASPET summer undergraduate research fellow. Her project was conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Ann Dorrance. Pooja studied the effects of spironalactone (a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist) on blood pressure, inflammation and brain injury in an animal model of stroke.
Eileen Rodriquez is spending her second summer at Michigan State University. Eileen will be a senior at the Cayey campus of the University of Puerto Rico where she is a Biology major. Eileen is a McNair-SROP summer scholar and she is conducting her research project in the laboratory of Dr. Jim Galligan where she worked closely with Vino Naidoo. Eileen has been studying calcium channel subtypes that are expressed by motorneurons in the enteric nervous system.
Allen MacDonald (shown here making his research presentation) will be a junior at Michigan State University where he is a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. Allen did his research project under the guidance of Dr. Patti Ganey and Christine Dugan. Allen studied gender related differences in hepatic halothane metabolism in mice.
Rebecca Sattler-Leja will be a senior at Michigan State University where she is a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. Rebecca was an ASPET summer undergraduate research fellow and she did her research project in the laboratory of Dr. Stephanie Watts with the help and guidance of Theo Szasz.
Program Information This is a highly competitive program and we are grateful for the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics's (ASPET) continued support of this excellent program. Our Department has received funding from ASPET to support a summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) program for more than 15 years. This program is designed to provide pharmacology and toxicology related research opportunities for undergraduate students. The program provides research training for the students and provides exposure to the excitement of a career in biomedical research. Dr. Peter Cobbett has served as the principal investigator and program coordinator for the past 8 years. Link to more information on the Department's SURF program.