By Charlene Slaughter

Claflin University junior biology major Cindi Lewis placed first in biology in the oral presentation competition at the recent 8^th Annual HBCU-UP National Research Conference held in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Lewis’ topic for the oral presentation was “The Role of Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERV-W) in the Occurrence of Spontaneous Habitual Abortion.” She was aided in her research by her mentor Dr. Omar Bagasra, Director of the South Carolina Center for Biotechnology and Professor of Biology at Claflin. Lewis said the content of her presentation is in the field of molecular virology, a discipline she has always been interested in.

“I was definitely surprised that I won,” Ms. Lewis said. “It was a good experience and I think it really motivated me to continue doing research and also to keep pressing forward and believe in myself.”

The theme of this year’s conference was “Science and Technology: Knowledge Generators for Global Competitiveness.” This year’s Co-Hosts for the HBCU-UP Conference are Norfolk State University and Bowie State University, supported by the National Science Foundation and organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The HBCU-UP Conference, held Oct. 4-7, is a national gathering of more than 700 students and faculty working together to enhance the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and research at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities. Students presented research in more than seven STEM disciplines.

“I thought it was a fantastic experience,” Lewis said of the conference. “I personally think that anyone in a science discipline should attend at least one conference during their matriculation. The networking is invaluable, the information about other science programs and the exposure to graduate schools – it is definitely worthwhile.”

Joining Ms. Lewis at the conference was Vernesha Brooks. Pamela Shuler, HBCU-UP Manager at Claflin, accompanied the students to Washington and said both students performed well at the competition.

“Only two students went this year and Ms. Lewis placing first was phenomenal,” Ms. Shuler said. “But both women did extremely well.”

The National Science Foundation (NSF) established the HBCU Undergraduate Program in 2000 to assist HBCUs in their effort to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and research capacity as a means to broaden participation in the Nation’s STEM workforce. In doing so, HBCUs contribute to NSF efforts so that the entire nation’s talent can reach their full potential in these fields.