Mary Savarese '14 received the David S. Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract Award from the American Physiological Society.
Mary Savarese, a senior biochemistry major and Elon College Fellow, received a national abstract award for research work she will be presenting later this spring at Experimental Biology, an annual meeting of more than 14,000 scientists and exhibitors representing six sponsoring societies and multiple guest societies.
The multidisciplinary meeting includes studies in anatomy, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, nutrition and pharmacology
The American Physiological Society sponsors the David S. Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract Award. The Bruce Awards were created in 2004 in memory of David S. Bruce from Wheaton College and honor his commitment to promoting undergraduate involvement in research and experimental biology. The Award recognizes outstanding research being done by undergraduates.
Savarese has been conducting research with Assistant Professor Jennifer K. Uno in the Department of Biology where her work focuses on the development of zebrafish as a model organism to study Celiac disease.
Specifically, Savarese is examining changes in the microbes residing in the intestines of fish fed a wheat-based diet versus a more traditional shrimp-based fish diet. She will travel to Experimental Biology in San Diego where she will present her work along side other undergraduates from across the country in a research competition also sponsored by the APS.