Tyler Harris was an undergraduate student from Raleigh, N.C.
Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) fund recipient
Project: “Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Protein Integrity”
Through funding from a SAFE grant, Harris was able to purchase materials needed in order to conduct experiments testing the effects of increased levels of natural antioxidant enzymes on metabolic stress induced by a high fat diet. Additionally, Harris presented his research at the Experimental Biology conference in Orlando, Florida in Spring of 2019.
“By giving me the funds to complete my project, I was able to remain much more invested my final semesters as an undergraduate and share my work with the scientific community. I am infinitely appreciative for this opportunity,” said Harris.
Harris felt that being able to work on this project in collaboration with his mentor, Dr. Brooke Christian, assistant professor, Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, provided him with priceless experiences in a biochemistry lab that will help him succeed as he pursues a graduate degree and enters the professional world.
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About The SAFE Fund
Initially endowed by Hughlene and Bill Frank, the College of Arts and Sciences Student and Faculty Excellence (SAFE) Fund provides resources that can be used to support undergraduate, graduate and faculty experiences. The SAFE Fund provides funding for college priorities and opportunities that arise throughout the year. These unrestricted funds support student and faculty travel, publication support for faculty and student research opportunities. Learn more at: https://cas.appstate.edu/students/student-and-faculty-excellence-safe-fund.
About the A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences
The A.R. Smith Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry, a Bachelor of Science in chemistry with eight different concentrations and an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree in fermentation sciences. The department’s programs prepare students to attend graduate and professional schools, as well as for employment in the pharmaceutical and fermentation industries and other business sectors. Learn more at https://chemistry.appstate.edu.
Compiled and written by Barclay Ann Blankenship and Ellen Gwin Burnette
June 24, 2020
BOONE, N.C.
SAFE Grant Student Spotlight: Tyler Harris '20, Biochemistry and Cell/Molecular Biology
Tyler Harris working in Dr. Brooke Christian's lab in the Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences. Photo by Ellen Gwin Burnette