Hostos alumnae, Wendy Fernández and Isamar Garrido-Rodríguez, now juniors at City College of New York as part of the Hostos Joint Dual Degree Engineering Program, won a national award for their research project presented at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Conference, which was held from October 13 to15 in Long Beach, CA. Their winning research poster was titled: "Discovery of Embryonic Ectoderm Development (EED) Inhibitors Using Crystal Structure-Based Virtual Screening."
Fernandez received a national award for her contribution and research presentation in the "Biomedical Research: Cancer Biology" section. Isamar also gave an oral presentation about this research, representing Hostos, at the 2016 CRSP Symposium at John Jay this past July. Presently, Fernández is studying Electrical Engineering and Garrido-Rodríguez is studying Chemical engineering.
Both students thanked Hostos for helping to open the door to the opportunity, and urged other students interested in STEM to research and attend SACNAS and other conferences.
“I am incredibly grateful for the resources that were available at Hostos,” Fernández said. “But most importantly, I am grateful to the faculty and staff who provided their time to guide me throughout all the research process. Without any of them nothing would be possible.”
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique Student Success Coaching Unit provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.
Hostos offers 29 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.