Biology grad student wins recognition

Melissa Brayman

2:23 p.m., June 21, 2005--Melissa Brayman, a UD doctoral candidate in biology, recently received the Women in Endocrinolgy Abstract Award, a $500 honorarium and UD grant money to attend the 2005 Endocrine Society Annual conference, held June 3-9 in San Diego.

Brayman, who has been studying how the MUC1 gene (a mucus-forming protein) impacts uterine implantation, received the award for her abstract “Progesterone Regulation of MUC1 Gene Expression,” which she submitted to the Endocrine Society in May.

Besides getting her abstract published in a book circulated by the Endocrine Society, Brayman also presented a poster of her research at the conference, which she attended with the help of grant money from the Department of Biological Sciences and a contribution by her adviser, Daniel Carson, department chairperson and Trustees Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences.

“The conference was a really good experience, because it drew a large number of students, doctors and researchers,” she said. “It had a little bit of everything--seminars, oral presentations and networking opportunities. It also provided a forum in which I could meet and speak with professionals, ask questions and circulate my resume.”

Brayman, who is pursuing an M.B.A. at UD at the same time as her Ph.D., plans to enter a career in biotechnology, possibly within an academic setting, upon her graduation next spring.

A Newark native, she received her bachelor’s degree in biology from UD.

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Duane Perry

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