Medical laboratory science undergraduate from Hutchinson receives award for veterinary research
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
From left, A. Sally Davis, assistant professor of experimental pathology, and Mya Masterson, senior in medical laboratory science and life science. Masterson is the recipient of a $3,000 research award from the Microscopy Society of America's Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program. Davis is Masterson's research mentor. | Download this photo.
The second phase of a research project through a veterinary laboratory at Kansas State University has netted a $3,000 research award for Mya Masterson, senior in medical laboratory science and life science, Hutchinson.
Masterson received the research award from the Microscopy Society of America Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program. The research grant follows a $500 award she received in July 2017 from the Histochemical Society's Capstone Grant Program for the first phase of her research. Masterson's project, "Microwave Powered Correlative Light Electron Microscopy of Rift Valley Fever Virus Kidney Lesions," is under the mentorship of A. Sally Davis, an assistant professor of experimental pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine who directs the Laboratory of Investigative Pathology. Masterson is in her third and final year of Kansas State University's Developing Scholars Program, which provides opportunities for highly motivated students from diverse backgrounds to participate in research projects with a faculty mentor.
"The Histochemical Society Capstone Grant was a great start to begin my project but being granted the Microscopy Society of America Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program award has been beyond exciting," Masterson said. "This award will allow me to advance my research, as well as continue learning new techniques. I greatly appreciate the extended opportunity the Microscopy Society of America has given me and I am looking forward to jumping back into my work."
The Microscopy Society of America award requires Masterson to submit a two-page paper next year for presentation at the society's Microscopy & Microanalysis Conference in August 2019 and for subsequent publication in the conference's proceedings booklet.
"Mya has been a delight to have in my lab," Davis said. "She is a consistent performer who enjoys learning new techniques and has the attention to detail and persistence required for succeeding in science. She is also an excellent team player, mentoring newcomers to in the lab. I have enjoyed guiding Mya on her recent science writing adventures and am thrilled that these efforts have been successful."
The Microscopy Society of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and advancement of techniques and applications of microscopy and microanalysis in all relevant scientific disciplines.
