{"681260":{"#nid":"681260","#data":{"type":"news","title":"CoS Graduate Researchers Earn Travel Grants","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ESix College of Sciences graduate students were awarded $1,000 in research travel grants after presenting their research at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/news\/cridc-2025-awards-40000-competition-winners\u0022\u003E16th annual Career, Research, Innovation, and Development Conference (CRIDC) poster competition\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;The grants will cover expenses related to research trips or travel to other conferences (domestic or international).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EEighty-four graduate students from across the Institute participated in the poster competition, presenting their research to faculty and staff judges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECongratulations to the poster competition winners from the College of Sciences:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIsabel Berry\u003C\/strong\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA second-year Ph.D. student in computational chemistry, Berry works in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/vergil.chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESherrill Group\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cMy research focuses on advancing computational quantum mechanical (QM) methods to feasibly model biological systems,\u201d says Berry. \u201cA specialized QM method developed in our group, F-SAPT, has the potential to reveal why certain drug molecules are favored over others, advancing the field of rational drug design. If we can accurately model protein-ligand interactions using quantum mechanics, it could ultimately pave the way for integrating these methods into computer-aided drug discovery workflows.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGretchen Johnson\u003C\/strong\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EJohnson is working on a Ph.D. in ocean science, studying how corals respond to environmental stressors as part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kubanek.biosci.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EKubanek Group\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cCorals can\u0027t move,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cInstead of hiding when it is hot or bright out, they must respond physiologically. I use a technique called metabolomics to study the cellular physiology of corals and look for metabolic changes over time. Understanding what makes a coral more resistant to stress is useful for protecting and restoring coral reefs.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShreya Kothari\u003C\/strong\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKothari conducts research for the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kubanek.biosci.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EKubanek Group\u003C\/a\u003E and is pursuing a Ph.D. in biology. She attempts to discover natural dispersant-like biomolecules helpful for oil spill remediation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWhile some microbes can degrade and clean up oil from the contaminated sites, the process is often slow,\u201d says Kothari. \u201cHowever, dispersant-like biomolecules can speed up oil degradation by breaking oil into smaller droplets and increasing its availability to oil-degrading microbes. I aim to determine the chemical structure and function of such biomolecules and test their effectiveness in treating real-world environmental spills by applying them in small-scale experiments that mimic oil spill conditions.\u0026nbsp;These biomolecules may\u0026nbsp;offer an eco-friendly alternative to toxic chemical dispersants and improve\u0026nbsp;existing bioremediation strategies\u0026nbsp;to mitigate environmental damage caused by oil pollution.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMonica Monge\u003C\/strong\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAs part of her Ph.D. studies, Monge works in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.garglab-microbiomegt.com\/\u0022\u003EGarg Lab\u003C\/a\u003E and focuses on understanding marine bacteria community dynamics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cI am specifically trying to decipher how disease-causing bacteria (pathogenic) and bacteria that doesn\u2019t harm its host (commensal) communicate with one another via chemical signals and the metabolic changes resulting from those interactions,\u201d says Monge. \u201cMy ultimate goal is to identify beneficial traits from commensal bacteria that we can leverage to alleviate coral diseases.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESidney Scott-Sharoni\u003C\/strong\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/psychology.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Psychology\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EScott-Sharoni is earning a Ph.D. in engineering psychology and works in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/sonify.psych.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESonification Lab\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cMy research focuses on human interaction with AI technologies,\u201d says Scott-Sharoni.\u0026nbsp;\u201cSpecifically, I examine how different features of AI agents, such as anthropomorphism and social intelligence, impact how people psychologically perceive and behave in collaboration with these agents. This work helps improve the effectiveness of AI systems by aligning them to human social and cognitive expectations, leading to better joint performance and proper trust.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMaggie Straight\u003C\/strong\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA third-year Ph.D. student studying ocean science and engineering, Straight conducts research in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kubanek.biosci.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EKubanek Group\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cSometimes I consider myself a microbial spy as I listen in to the chemical conversation between microbes and analyze how each microbe is affected by the interaction,\u201d says Straight. \u201cMy current work is focused on the interaction between two types of marine microbes, bacteria and microscopic algae. By understanding how bacteria can be good or bad for algal growth, I hope to shed light on the mechanisms by which bacteria can help algae form algal blooms, including harmful algal blooms. This understanding could help scientists predict the beginning and ending of harmful algal blooms and keep beachgoers and shellfish farms safe from harmful algae.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"CoS Graduate Researchers Earn Travel Grants"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe College of Sciences proudly recognizes the six graduate scholars awarded $1,000 in research travel grants during the\u0026nbsp;Career, Research, Innovation, and Development Conference (CRIDC) poster competition.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The College of Sciences proudly recognizes the six graduate scholars awarded $1,000 in research travel grants during the Career, Research, Innovation, and Development Conference (CRIDC) poster competition."}],"uid":"36607","created_gmt":"2025-03-20 17:45:10","changed_gmt":"2025-03-20 21:19:18","author":"ls67","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-03-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-03-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676622":{"id":"676622","type":"image","title":"Gretchen Johnson explains her research to a judge during the competition.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGretchen Johnson explains her research to a judge during the competition.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1742494381","gmt_created":"2025-03-20 18:13:01","changed":"1742494381","gmt_changed":"2025-03-20 18:13:01","alt":"A man looks at a woman who is explaining her research via a poster.","file":{"fid":"260432","name":"Johnson-1-.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/20\/Johnson-1-.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/20\/Johnson-1-.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":68520,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/03\/20\/Johnson-1-.jpg?itok=PQX6wReV"}},"676625":{"id":"676625","type":"image","title":"Isabel Berry, Gretchen Johnson, and Shreya Kothari","body":"\u003Cp\u003EIsabel Berry, Gretchen Johnson, and Shreya Kothari\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1742494609","gmt_created":"2025-03-20 18:16:49","changed":"1742499350","gmt_changed":"2025-03-20 19:35:50","alt":"Separate headshots of three women","file":{"fid":"260433","name":"CRIDC.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/20\/CRIDC.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/20\/CRIDC.png","mime":"image\/png","size":3001801,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/03\/20\/CRIDC.png?itok=hbc9RMut"}},"676626":{"id":"676626","type":"image","title":"Monica Monge, Sidney Scott-Sharoni, and Maggie Straight","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMonica Monge, Sidney Scott-Sharoni, and Maggie Straight\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1742494971","gmt_created":"2025-03-20 18:22:51","changed":"1742499400","gmt_changed":"2025-03-20 19:36:40","alt":"Headshots of three separate women.","file":{"fid":"260435","name":"CRIDC-image.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/20\/CRIDC-image.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/20\/CRIDC-image.png","mime":"image\/png","size":3136557,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/03\/20\/CRIDC-image.png?itok=Lvq0wnZA"}}},"media_ids":["676622","676625","676626"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/news\/cridc-2025-awards-40000-competition-winners","title":"CRIDC 2025 Awards $40,000 to competition winners"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"443951","name":"School of Psychology"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"193158","name":"Student Competition Winners (academic, innovation, and research)"},{"id":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"167103","name":"student honors"},{"id":"174421","name":"graduate student research"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura Segraves Smith, writer\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}