WCM-Q team scoops 1st place in UREP competition
WCM-Q student winners of the UREP oral presentation category, from right: Aimen Javed, Yazan Kaddorah and Kareem Fanous.
A team of three Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) students and their mentors secured 1st place in the oral presentation category of the 16th edition of the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP), administered by the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council.
Students Kareem Fanous, Yazan Kaddorah, Aimen Javed and their mentors Prof. Christopher Triggle, professor of pharmacology, Dr. Isra Marei, formerly postdoctoral associate in pharmacology, and Dr. Hong Ding, formerly associate professor of research in pharmacology, topped the category with their project titled Interaction between Platelets and Endothelial Progenitor Cells: Role in Diabetes-Induced Atherogenesis (UREP29-183-3-058).
Dr. Khaled Machaca, senior associate dean for research, innovations, and commercialization, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see our student researchers perform so well in the prestigious UREP competition. Kareem, Yazan and Aiman, guided by their mentors, produced truly excellent research as reflected in their oral presentation. We are very grateful to UREP and the QRDI Council for providing fantastic opportunities for talented young researchers to shine.”
The participation in this year’s UREP was diverse, with students from four academic institutions in Qatar taking part alongside WCM-Q: Qatar University, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Texas A&M University at Qatar, and Northwestern University in Qatar. The projects covered a wide range of subjects, including the environment and energy, social arts and humanities, biomedical & health, and information and communication technology.
A panel of 14 judges evaluated the poster presentations, in addition to three judges for the oral presentations. Projects were assessed based on their significance, research outcomes, student learning experience, and presentation quality.