“This research is ultimately going to be the ground work for my senior undergraduate thesis, as well as strengthening my presentation to compete in Ohio State’s prestigious Denman Undergraduate Research Forum in spring of 2017.”
Rachel Hopper, junior
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Ohio State Marion junior, pharmaceutical sciences major, Rachel Hopper, was recently recognized by Ohio State’s Office of Undergraduate Research with the 2016 Undergraduate Research Award and Summer Research Fellowship.
The award provides her a $3,500 stipend to conduct research through summer 2016.
Hopper, a Marion native and 2014 graduate of Pleasant High School, was recognized for her research on Molecular Modeling of Potential Therapeutics for Aged Acetylcholinesterase Reactivation. In layman’s terms, she is using computer modeling to find treatments for sarin gas exposure.
Being part of the fellowship allows Hopper to conduct drug development research during the summer between her junior and senior year of college. With aspirations of earning a Ph.D. in Pharmacy, the fellowship gives her a leg up on creating real world therapeutics.
This research is part of a larger collaboration with faculty members from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, which includes Ohio State Marion Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Ryan Yoder, as well as Dr. Christopher Callam and Dr. Chistopher Hadad from the Columbus campus.
According to Hopper, winning this fellowship award will allow her to strengthen her research.
“This research is ultimately going to be the ground work for my senior undergraduate thesis, as well as strengthening my presentation to compete in Ohio State’s prestigious Denman Undergraduate Research Forum in spring of 2017.”
Hopper believes that having access to additional collaborators and resources available through the fellowship will help her expand upon her research.
“I can analyze more libraries of compounds, as well as going into more detail on the findings of my research.”
Organizers awarding the fellowship felt Hopper wrote a compelling proposal and that the letter from her research mentor demonstrated a deep commitment to the project.
Through this award, Hopper will be part of the Undergraduate Research Office’s Summer Undergraduate Research Institute, an annual series of fun enrichment and professional development activities for all undergraduate researchers who are conducting research over the summer.
Hopper was also invited to be involved in serving on peer research panels, such as the Peer Research Contact, or publishing completed research papers in the student-led Journal of Undergraduate Research at The Ohio State University (JUROS).