2018 Alumni
After a successful first year in 2017, SPARK participation grew to 16 students in the second year. Two of those 16 students were also part of the 2017 cohort, and four went on to be selected again for 2019. Meet the 2018 alumni and learn more about their achievements during their SPARK term.
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Afreen Ashraf
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: Stanton College Preparatory School
Research: Afreen's research with Aneel Paulus, M.D., Ph.D. on Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia earned third place at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair. She is a current junior at Duke University, double majoring in biology (B.S) and global health (B.A.), with a focus on determinants, disparities, and equity in health and healthcare.
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Ahmet Bilgili
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: Atlantic Coast High School
Research: Ahmet worked with Abba C. Zubair, M.D., Ph.D. and Mayo Clinic research fellow Nisha C. Durand, Ph.D., on the effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ on mesenchymal stem cell properties. Ahmet presented his project at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair. He went on to the University of Florida's Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering to study biomedical engineering. Ahmet plans to attend the American Heart Association SURF program at the University of Cincinnati. In addition, Ahmet ran and completed an ultra marathon known as the Georgia Death Race.
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Ashton Body
Term: 2018 (junior), 2019 (senior)
School: Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Research: Ashton's research with Debabrata (Dev) Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D. focused on designing a targeted nanoparticle formulation for drug-resistant breast cancer stem cells. Ashton presented her project at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair and at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair, 2019 State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida, and the 2019 International Science and Engineering Fair, where she earned the third place grand award in biochemistry. During her second year of SPARK in 2019, Ashton's work focused on drug delivery and metastatic cancer, furthering her drug delivery system research from the previous year. Ashton was named a top 300 scholar in the Regeneron Science Talent Search for 2020. She received first place at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville Science Fair in biological science. Ashton planned to attend Harvard University and major in biochemistry or anthropology. Ashton was hired as a laboratory technician to continue working in Dr. Mukhopadhyay’s lab for the summer of 2021.
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Isha Chekuri
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: Allen D. Nease High School
Research: Isha worked in the Translational Cardiovascular Disease Research Laboratory of DeLisa Fairweather, Ph.D., researching the regeneration of the heart using exosomes. She presented her project at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair and the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Currently, Isha is a student in Florida State's Honors Program studying cellular and molecular neuroscience. Isha returned to research under Dr. Fairweather and Dr. Bruno through Mayo Clinic's 2021 SURF program.
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Zoe Fields
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: Ponte Vedra High School
Research: Zoe's research with Verline Justilien, Ph.D. on the characterization of biomarkers of PKCi-directed therapy for treatment of lung cancer earned second place in the St. Johns County Science Fair. She went on to study biomedical engineering at the University of Florida.
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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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Sophia Kurian
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: Allen D. Nease High School
Research: Sophia's research with Keith L. Knutson, Ph.D. and Mayo Clinic research fellow Geraldine Vidhy (Geraldine) Raja, Ph.D., focused on the role of adrenomedullin in breast cancer stem cells. Sophia presented her project at the annual research presentation event for SPARK students, at her high school and county science fairs, and at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair. She went on to Seton Hall University to study women’s studies and biology on the premedical track.
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Elizabeth (Lilly) McCabe
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: Bartram Trail High School
Research: Lilly's research with Evette S. Radisky, Ph.D., focused on the role of serine protease inhibitors in increasing attachment-free survival of ovarian clear cell carcinoma. She presented her project at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair and the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Lilly went on to study microbiology at the University of Alabama and was accepted into the Emerging Scholars Program for undergraduate research.
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Rishi Misra
Term: 2018 (junior), 2019 (senior)
School: The Bolles School
Research: During his two years in the SPARK Program, Rishi was a member of the Cell Adhesion and Metastasis Lab of Panagiotis (Panos) Z. Anastasiadis, Ph.D. Under the mentorship of Dr. Ruifeng Lu and Lindy Pence, Rishi studied the role of the adhesion molecule PLEKHA7 in the formation and progression of pancreatic cancer. Through his work, Rishi was selected as a finalist at the 2020 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in addition to winning numerous awards at the state and regional levels. Rishi also presented his work at a joint conference of the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB) and European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2019, where he won 1st place in the Undergraduate Poster Competition as the only high-school student. Rishi is now studying molecular biophysics/biochemistry and economics as an undergraduate at Yale University.
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Marc Pappas
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: Mandarin High School
Research: Marc's research with John A. Copland III, Ph.D. on prostate cancer allowed him to place second at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair and at the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida. Marc planned to major in biological engineering at the University of Florida. Marc returned to research in the 2021 Mayo Clinic SURF Program working in Dr. Copland's laboratory.
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Priyanka Perisetla
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: Stanton College Preparatory School
Research: Priyanka's research with Pamela J. McLean, Ph.D., investigated the use of the novel compound honokiol to attenuate alpha synuclein protein in a cellular model of Parkinson's disease. Priyanka presented her work at the annual research presentation event for SPARK students, at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair and at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair. She went on to study biochemistry and health disparities at the University of Florida. We're excited to have Priyanka return for the 2021 Mayo Clinic CRISP Program.
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Victoria Pham
Term: 2018 (junior), 2019 (senior)
School: Ponte Vedra High School
Research: Victoria worked in the Tumor Angiogenesis and Vascular Biology Lab of Debabrata (Dev) Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D. and with Mayo Clinic molecular biology researcher Ying Wang, M.D., Ph.D., on screening novel anti-inflammatory small molecules in endothelial cells. She presented at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair; the Academy of Biotechnology and Medical Research at Ponte Vedra High School; the 8th Mayo Clinic Symposium on Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Therapeutics: Role of Precision Medicine and Targeted Therapy in Clinical Practice; and the St. Johns County Science Fair, where she won the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Award. Victoria participated in many outreach events, including at MOSH, the Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville, where she taught children how nanoparticles work with the lab of Joy Emelie (Joy) V. Wolfram, Ph.D. In her second year in the program, Victoria continued her research on novel small molecules and their role in inflammatory diseases. She placed third in senior biomedical/cellular/microbiology at the 2020 St. Johns County Science Fair and was invited as a finalist to the 2020 State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida. Victoria went on to attend George Washington University.
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Raha Riazati
Term: 2018 (junior), 2019 (senior)
School: Stanton College Preparatory School
Research: During both of her SPARK terms, Raha worked in the Neurogenesis and Brain Tumors Laboratory of Hugo Guerrero Cazares, M.D., Ph.D. where she studied the role of neural progenitor cells on the malignancy of glioblastoma cells in vitro. Raha presented her project at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair, the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair in 2019 and 2020, the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida in 2019 and 2020, and the 2019 International Science and Engineering Fair. She is majoring in electrical engineering at California Institute of Technology.
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Katherine Rodriguez
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: Allen D. Nease High School
Research: Katherine's research with Rachel Sarabia Estrada, D.V.M., Ph.D., and Mayo Clinic research fellow Beatriz I. Fernandez Gil, Ph.D., focused on melatonin as an anti-proliferative agent in brain metastasis from breast cancer. Katherine presented her research at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair and many other science competitions. Her research earned an honorable mention at the Junior Science, Engineering, and Humanities Symposium. She was awarded first place in 2019 at the St. Johns County Science Fair and at the State Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF) of Florida in the biomedical and health science division. She was also awarded the J.T. Malesky Award for outstanding presentation of scientific research at SSEF. Katherine continued her passion for scientific research at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, studying biology and neuroscience with a premedical concentration.
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Alexander Tun
Term: 2018 (senior)
School: The Bolles School
Research: Alex's research with Keith L. Knutson, Ph.D., was titled "Anti-PD-1 Blockade Therapy to Stimulate T-Cell Activating Properties of Dendritic Cells." Their work examined PD-1 signaling in vitro through the NF-kB pathway in murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells and whether anti-PD-1 checkpoint blockade therapy stimulated the release of cytokines by dendritic cells, thereby enhancing T-cell activity for maximum immune response. Alex presented his work at the annual research presentation event for SPARK students and at the Mayo Clinic SPARK Mini Science Fair. He won first place in the microbiology category at his school science fair and at the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair, and fourth place at the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida. Alex planned to pursue a premedical track at Northwestern University. We're excited to have Alex 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.