Stevens seniors Stephanie Funcasta (Chemistry ’19) and Penelope Halkiadakis (Biology ’19) were awarded scholarships from Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2019. The Novartis Science Scholarship is an endowed scholarship established by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation with the Independent College Fund of New Jersey (ICFNJ) to recognize and advance undergraduate science majors who demonstrate an interest in scientific research. Novartis is a Swiss Pharmaceutical company regarded as a world leader in the research and development of products that protect and improve health and well-being. According to the ICFNJ website, the scholarship was created “to recognize and advance undergraduate science majors at our member colleges and universities who demonstrate an interest in scientific research.” The scholarship is extremely competitive, with only 10 recipients, including students from Princeton, Rutgers, Seton Hall, and other New Jersey schools.
The application process for the Novartis Science Scholarship entailed completing an ICFNJ Scholarship Application Form, as well as supplementing documents such as a transcript, letter of recommendation, and resume. In addition, all applicants had to submit a brief explanation of a scientific research project they have conducted.
The Stute interviewed both Funcasta and Halkiadakis about their research, and thoughts on receiving the award.
Funcasta’s research was related to esters, a naturally occurring class of compounds that can be prepared from the reaction of alcohols and either a carboxylic acid or a suitable acid derivative. They can be naturally derived or synthetic and are used as additives in orally administered drug formulations, fragrance additives in cosmetics, personal care products, and are used in drugs to deliver compounds to their intended target sites in a more efficacious manner, with little or no adverse effects. Normally, esterification reactions can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to react. However, by using a microwave, reactions not only can go to completion in under five minutes but also have a much smaller byproduct. Funcasta explained, “Green chemistry is important now more than ever to assist in reducing the waste, damage, and harmful effects on the environment that scientific research has imposed upon the world we live in thus far. Microwave driven reactions allow the researcher to perform experiments on a small scale, without solvents or catalysts, without purification being necessary, and in low-tech environments.” She explained that the goal of her research was “devising a reaction protocol for the synthesis of a variety of esters.”
Halkiadakis received the award for her research conducted at Stevens and NYU. At Stevens, her research focused on rare mitochondrial syndromes. “The central hypothesis of our research was that mitochondrial-targeted AAV gene delivery may benefit from an optimal combination of AAV genome structure (single-stranded vs. self-complementary), promoter (mitochondrial heavy strand promoter vs. cytomegalovirus promoter), transcription terminator (mitochondrial terminator vs. poly A cleavage site), mitochondrial-targeting sequencing, and a transgene optimized to utilize the mitochondrial genetic code. Successful gene delivery to mitochondria from vectors containing the optimized transgene served as the single most important parameter, setting the stage for the development of further vectors to address human diseases,” she explained. Her role specifically was developing and implementing a protocol to construct recombination AAV vectors, and evaluating the effectiveness of targeted gene delivery to mammalian mitochondria. She also conducted experiments and quantitative confirmatory analysis, as well as maintained HEK293 cell line for triple transfection and production of AAV particles. At NYU, Halkiadakis participated in a research project involving the different characteristics of patient anatomy and tumors that guide the selection of a particular applicator and brachytherapy techniques. In addition, they discussed novel therapeutics in the treatment of advanced gynecologic malignancies.
Both Funcasta and Halkiadakis shared their thoughts on receiving the award: “I would not be where I am today if it were not for the support and faith of donors; scholarships have made my education possible and opened the door to unprecedented opportunities,” explained Halkiadakis. “With a lightened financial burden, I have had the freedom to become a certified EMT, start an Amnesty International chapter, be promoted to the Amnesty International National Youth Collective, join the Dean’s Undergraduate Advisory Board, become Vice President of the Stevens Health Professionals Club and Service Vice President of APO, serve as a summer clinical intern at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, of course, participate in exciting research projects, and so much more.”
Funcasta added, “For Novartis to recognize students, specifically women, in science … it made me feel really appreciated as a female chemistry major who is doing her best at propelling her STEM career forward. I love the idea of uplifting and supporting women in the sciences so that we keep women interested in this field and recruit others to be interested in the amazing things science can do.”
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