2017 Alumni
Nine students completed the pilot year of the SPARK Research Mentorship Program. Two of those students were also selected for SPARK in 2018. Meet the 2017 alumni and learn more about their achievements during their SPARK term.
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Devanik Biswas
Term: 2017 (senior)
School: Stanton College Preparatory School
Research: Devanik's blood-brain barrier research in the Translational Neuropathology Laboratory of Melissa E. Murray, Ph.D., earned first place in the biochemistry category at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair and a third place grand award in the biomedical and health sciences category at the International Science and Engineering Fair in 2018. Devanik went on to major in neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. He will be graduating in 2022 and continuing at Johns Hopkins to obtain his master's degree.
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Yara Chehade
Term: 2017 (senior)
School: Allen D. Nease High School
Research: Yara's ovarian cancer research with John A. Copland III, Ph.D., in the Cancer Biology and Translational Research Laboratory earned an honorable mention in the cellular and molecular biology category at the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida and an opportunity to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair in 2018. Yara went on to major in mechanical engineering and minor in biomechanics at the University of Florida.
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Emma Kee
Term: 2017 (senior)
School: Ponte Vedra High School
Research: Emma's traumatic brain injury research in the Neurobiology of Parkinson's Disease Laboratory of Pamela J. McLean, Ph.D., earned second place at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair and recognition at the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida in 2018. Emma went on to study biology at Wake Forest University.
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Timothy (Tim) Kellett
Term: 2017 (senior)
School: Ponte Vedra High School
Research: Tim's research with Aneel Paulus, M.D., M.S., on Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia earned second place at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair and at the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida in 2018. Tim graduated with a biochemistry degree from Florida State University in three years and his now pursuing his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
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Courtney Krider
Term: 2017 (junior), 2018 (senior)
School: Ponte Vedra High School
Research: Courtney's research with Debabrata (Dev) Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., on drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer cells due to acetylcholine, earned third place at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair and recognition at the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida in 2018. Courtney was also awarded third place in the Florida Regional Junior Science, Engineering, and Humanities Symposium. During her second year in SPARK, she worked with Abba C. Zubair, M.D., Ph.D. conducting research on the impact of hypoxia on mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and proliferation. She was awarded first place at the St. Johns County Regional Science Fair in 2019 for her research. Courtney went on to study biomedical sciences and astronomy at the University of Central Florida.
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Louis Otero
Term: 2017 (senior)
School: Ponte Vedra High School
Research: In his research with Keith L. Knutson, Ph.D., Louis focused on HER2-positive breast cancer, earning third place at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair and second place at the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida in 2018. Louis went on to study microbiology at the University of South Florida. We're also excited to have Louis return for the 2021 Mayo Clinic SURF Program at the Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester, Minnesota.
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Jonathan Perera
Term: 2017 (senior)
School: Stanton College Preparatory School
Research: Working with Rachel Sarabia Estrada, D.V.M., Ph.D., Jonathan examined migratory interactions among microglia, mesenchymal stem cells and brain tumor-initiating cells in vitro. He presented his work at the annual research presentation event for SPARK students and at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair. He continued working with the Quinones Lab with Rawan Alkharboosh on immunomodulation in the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment. He is currently at Duke University studying biomedical engineering on a pre-med track. He works in the Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program Lab under John Sampson M.D., Ph.D., studying the role of calcium signaling in glioblastoma. He hopes to be a neurosurgeon one day following in the footsteps of Dr. Quinones. We’re excited to have Jonathan return for the 2021 Mayo Clinic SURF Program.
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Kavitha Vudatha
Term: 2017 (junior), 2018 (senior)
School: Stanton College Preparatory School
Research: Kavitha's pancreatic cancer research alongside Baoan Ji, M.D., Ph.D. earned first place at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair, a special award from the University of Florida College of Medicine, and second place at the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida in 2018. During her second term in SPARK in 2018, Kavitha continued her research with Dr. Ji using a CRISPR-Cas9 method to knock out Aurora kinase A gene expression in pancreatic cancer cells. She planned to study computer science and premedicine at the University of Florida.
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Darren Wang
Term: 2017 (senior)
School: The Bolles School
Research: In the Neurogenesis and Brain Tumors Laboratory of Hugo Guerrero Cazares, M.D., Ph.D., Darren investigated glioblastoma cell proliferation and migration. He presented his work at the annual research presentation event for SPARK students and at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair. He went on to study biomedical engineering at the University of Florida.