From left, Angelica Avila, Vianney Sanchez, Rachel Howell, Christian Orozco,
UTD mentor Milana Thomas and Murry Gans.
Four Eastfield students competed in a science and engineering contest at the University of Texas at Dallas and won $1,000 scholarships.
Angelica Avila, Christian Orozco, Rachel Howell, and Vianney Sanchez conducted a yearlong research project for the Young Women in Science and Engineering Investigators Program.
Eastfield science learning lab coordinator Murry Gans mentored the team. They also had a mentor at UTD.
Their project title was Stimulus-Responsive Polymer Synthesis for Drug Delivery. The students worked many hours since August in the Materials Science Lab at UTD to synthesize the polymers. They were looking for a new, less toxic method of delivering a drug to treat lupus.
The students presented their work to a panel of judges composed of industry, faculty, and postdoctoral experts. The judges evaluated each team on its knowledge of the subject matter, application of the scientific method to conduct a valid experiment, and written and oral communication of its research.
"Personally, I think our project was the most ambitious in the competition," Gans said. "I am extremely proud of these students for having the discipline and perseverance to complete this yearlong research project, all of it done on their own time."
Avila, Orozco, and Howell plan to attend UTD, and Sanchez plans to attend Texas A&M University.