MEDICAL SCIENCES
TALENTED STUDENTS PROGRAM
Meddling with Medical Science
Molecular and
cellular biology, latest imaging and recording techniques and various
non-invasive approaches offer the potential to answer questions in the medical
science Disciplines of Anatomy, Histology, Infectious Diseases, Immunology,
Physiology, Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Pathology. This TSP program offers
students the chance to be a member of one of the research labs in these
Disciplines and meet regularly with academics to discuss cutting edge research.
Choosing a Topic
and Enrolling:
Second or third
year students who wish to participate in this program will need to enrol in a
generic 6CP TSP unit of study. You can exchange a 6CP course for 6 TSP credit
points.
To enrol please
contact one of the co-ordinators of the SMS TSP program:
The co-ordinators
can help you to find a project/research area that you are interested in.
See below for a
list of topics available this semester. These may be either laboratory based
projects or library-based research projects.
Time commitment:
4-5 hrs per week
+ usual study/research reading commitment in own time
Structure of SMS
TSP program:
Fortnightly
meeting with fellow TSP students in the SMS Program convened by the
co-ordinators. In these sessions we will discuss the expectations of the
program and provide tutoring on how to critically review literature, understand
biological variation, analyse data, write research reports and give oral
presentations. Each student will give short progress talks to the group about
their research.
Assessment:
Laboratory Based Projects:
·
Final oral
presentation to the School in the last week of semester (10 min talk + 5 min
questions) (15%)
Library Based Projects:
Research Projects
Projects are available in the
following Disciplines:
Anatomy and Histology
Infectious Diseases and
Immunology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology
Circulation &
respiration
Ghrelin in
the brain: role in gastrointestinal and cardiovascular function.
Supervisor: Prof. Roger Dampney, Physiology
Supervisor: Dr Alaina Ammit, Pharmacy, Collaboration with the
Discipline of Pharmacology
Role of
steroids in airway remodelling (library project)
Supervisor: Dr Brian Oliver, Pharmacology
Supervisor: Dr Brent McParland, Pharmacology
Effects of
respiratory frequency and tidal volume on resting airway caliber
Supervisor: Dr Cheryl Salome, Medicine; collaboration with the Discipline of
Pharmacology
Arthrosclerosis/cardiovascular
disease
Supervisor: A/Prof. Brett Hambly, Pathology
Chemical
conversations that underlie the growth and survival of synapses
Supervisor: Dr Bill Phillips, Physiology
Revealing
circuits underlying volitional (self-initiated) behaviour
Supervisor: Dr Atomu Sawatari,
Physiology
Development
of molecular probes for studying diseases of the brain
Supervisor: A/Prof. Michael Kassiou,
Medicinal
Chemistry/ Pharmacology
Central
nervous system stability and degeneration
Supervisor: Prof. Jonathan Stone,
Physiology
Retinal development
& neural circuits
Supervisor: A/Prof. Frank Lovicu, Anatomy
& Histology
Visual
perception in natural scenes
Supervisor: Dr Samuel Solomon,
Physiology
Nerve
signals for pattern vision
Supervisor: Dr Samuel Solomon,
Physiology
Cancer, cell biology & embryo development
Supervisor:
Dr Michael
Morris, Physiology
Cell signaling
in the preimplantation embryo
Supervisor: Dr Margot Day, Physiology
Development
of Novel Tumour Agents for the Treatment of Cancer
Supervisor: Prof. Des Richardson,
Pathology
The impact
of pathogens on respiratory epithelium
Supervisor: Dr Anuwat Dinudom, Physiology
Supervisor: Dr Cathy Leamey
Infection, immunity
& inflammation
Supervisor: Prof. Nick Hunt, Pathology
1: Expression of a newly-discovered enzyme in
human tissues.
2: Expression and characterisation of a novel
human enzyme.
3: Expression of indoleamine dioxygenase in
response to Toll-like receptors in cell lines.
4: Expression and characterisation of a novel
human enzyme.
5: Does modulation of the immune system
determine the outcome of cerebral malaria?
Library
Project: “Critically review the published literature on natural and
artificial antioxidants as modifying agents in experimental rodent models of
stroke.”
Chemokines
involved in idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Supervisor: Dr Bob Bao, Pathology
Further
information
Further information on the Faculty of Science TSP can be found at http://www.science.usyd.edu.au/fstudent/undergrad/tsp/index.shtml
Other opportunities to gain research experience in
Medical Science
Summer
Research Scholarships
Summer
Research Scholarships are available from the Faculty of Medicine for a period
of eight weeks over the summer vacation. They offer a unique opportunity for students
to obtain experience in medical-related research. The scholarships offer
students the experience of working with well-established researchers in high
quality medical research facilities.
For
more infomation and a list of projects available go to http://www.medfac.usyd.edu.au/research/srs/index.php