SUNY Potsdam Chemistry Professor Awarded National Science Foundation Grant to Train Post-Baccalaureate Researcher
SUNY Potsdam Chemistry Professor Dr. Fadi Bou-Abdallah Awarded $64,016 from NSF to Prepare Student as a Research Scholar
Potsdam, NY (09/09/2021) — Professor of Chemistry Dr. Fadi Bou-Abdallah has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to train a post-baccalaureate student in biophysical and molecular biology research in his laboratory at SUNY Potsdam.
The $64,016 National Science Foundation grant will enable Bou-Abdallah to provide an opportunity to a recent SUNY Potsdam graduate to engage in research activities and gain laboratory skills that they may have been deprived of because of the pandemic. The grant aims at developing the student's competency as a research scholar, and prepare them to pursue their graduate studies or their career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
Bou-Abdallah works extensively with undergraduates in his lab, supported by major grant funding to support his research. He currently has two ongoing grants from the NSF and the National Institutes for Health totaling more than $800,000 to support his research on the body's storage and release of iron, and how imbalances in those mechanisms may lead to iron-related diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
His students often co-author papers published in research journals and present their findings at conferences, and many go on to graduate school and careers in the sciences -- including Aliaksandra Reutovich '22, who was named a Goldwater Scholar this spring, and hopes to pursue her MD/Ph.D. after graduation.
Earlier this summer, Bou-Abdallah was honored with the 2021 Outstanding Mentorship Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research's Division of Chemistry. The award recognizes exceptional mentoring and advising by higher education faculty across all subdisciplines of chemistry. Each award consists of a $500 cash prize to the recipient, a certificate of recognition, and a one-year individual membership to CUR. Bou-Abdallah was one of three professors from across the country selected for the honor.
SUNY Potsdam's Department of Chemistry offers a rigorous and well-balanced curriculum that provides a solid foundation for successful graduate study or a career in chemistry or a chemistry-related field. The department is known for its strong and diverse undergraduate research programs, its $3 million in grants to support teaching and research, and the success of its students' acceptance to competitive graduate and professional schools. To find out more, visit http://www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Chem.
About SUNY Potsdam:
Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges -- and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit http://www.potsdam.edu.
###
Media Attachments
Dr. Fadi Bou-Abdallah has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to train a post-baccalaureate student in biophysical and molecular biology research in his laboratory at SUNY Potsdam.
Aliaksandra Reutovich ’22 adds reducing agents and an iron chelator to a solution of ferritin, in order to observe the iron release reaction of the protein, in Dr. Fadi Bou-Abdallah’s Stowell Hall chemistry lab at SUNY Potsdam. The professor has received an NSF grant to train a post-baccalaureate researcher in his lab.
