Kennesaw State Alumna Pursues Biomedical Research Through NIH Program

Press release from Kennesaw State University:

Aug 10, 2021

Kennesaw State alumna pursues biomedical research through NIH program

Jade Lugo

KENNESAW, Ga.
(Aug 10, 2021) — Jade Lugo became a researcher almost by accident. Now, the Kennesaw State 2021 biochemistry graduate has secured a postbaccalaureate research position with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Lugo, who had pursued several majors before deciding that she wanted to be a neuroscientist,
will participate in NIH’s Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award program,
which allows college graduates pursuing advanced degrees to spend one to two years
conducting biomedical research with leading NIH scientists.

Working in the National Institute on Aging’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology
(LMBI) in Maryland, Lugo will study the mechanics of the cellular process and how
it contributes to age-related changes in physiology, including the development of
age-related diseases such as cancer.

“This award has put me one step closer to achieve my goal of becoming a neuroscientist,”
said Lugo. “I’m excited to be immersed in a very knowledgeable and motivating community at the
National Institutes of Health.”

During her early years at KSU, Lugo’s idea of research was primarily informed by her
time in her general lab classes, but as she got further along in her program, she
became interested in more complex research. She secured a position as a research assistant
on several projects, including neuroscience work under the mentorship of Kimberly
Cortes, associate professor of chemistry education.

Over the past academic year, working in collaboration with KSU’s BrainLab, Lugo along with Cortes’ team used biometrics such as EEG and eye-tracking data to
understand how students process information.

“Our main goal was to decrease the cognitive load of students so we could focus on
their working memory to establish how they learn critical information,” Lugo said.
“This research provided me the opportunity to analyze data and to work collaboratively
with other researchers.”

She completed her senior capstone class with Carol Chrestensen, professor of chemistry,
and her most formative experiences in that course forever changed how she viewed research.
The class worked with a certain protein, devising experiments to gain access to the
functionality of the protein. For Lugo, this was a departure from the by-the-book
aspects of her earlier lab experiences.

“The capstone course provided a challenging and realistic experience in a professional
lab setting,” she said. “It taught me that in a lab, troubleshooting is vital, and
critical thinking is essential.”

Impressed with Lugo’s work in class, Chrestensen said she was more than happy to offer
a recommendation when Lugo sought letters of support for her application to the postbaccalaureate
program at the NIH.

“Jade stood out in our senior biochemistry course, was engaged in the material, was
prepared for lab, was a careful experimentalist, and asked lots of questions,” Chrestensen
said.

Lugo is looking forward to the opportunities she will have working in NIH’s interdisciplinary
research environment, which will prepare her in pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience.

“Using my experience from different types of research labs as a foundation, I would
like to tailor my expertise to my particular interest: the brain,” Lugo said. “The
NIH is an excellent place to learn imaging techniques, gain a better understanding
of neural systems, and collaborate with highly skilled experts to develop my own long-term
research goals.”

— Jacob Segura

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.

This press release was produced by Kennesaw State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.