UPR Aguadilla students win best poster award at Louisiana Symposium

PRESS RELEASE

March 28, 2022 (Aguadilla, P.R.) - Students from the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla (UPRAg), led by Dr. Nancy R. Cardona Cordero, were awarded the Best Poster Award "Lead Poising Among Puerto Ricans: An Educational Intervention" last month at the Louisiana State University Dellinger Symposium. 

The project consisted of dynamically disseminating information to stakeholders about how lead poisoning affects daily life and testing the effectiveness of the Science Take-Out Kit, "Prevention of Lead Poisoning" as an educational tool among this Hispanic population. 

While conducting the research they noticed that there was a lack of knowledge in the community about the findings presented about lead and its effects. 

"Through this work we realized how uninformed we can be about an issue and how we can change this by sharing knowledge and integrating the public to be part of the study," said Veronica Morales, part of the group of students.

About the experience of presenting their research to the professional community at the Dellinger Symposium, student Deytzalie Rodríguez Hernández commented: "We made ourselves known as future researchers and met many people recognized in their field of study.

Likewise, the professor and mentor of the students, Dr. Nancy R. Cardona Cordero emphasized that: "Each achievement of the students reflects their work and commitment to their professional development, and as a mentor, it is a reflection that our time invested in the academy and our students can have an impact on their self-confidence".

The research was composed by the young women: Veronica Morales Rodriguez, Paola Rodriguez Montoyo, Deytzalie Rodriguez Hernandez and Sailyn Cordero Alvarez. They were under the supervision and mentorship of Professor Nancy R. Cardona Cordero and Dr. Jesús Lee, director of the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) of the UPR-Aguadilla. 

This is the second consecutive year that students from UPR Aguadilla under the direction of Dr. Cardona participate in this symposium and one of their groups obtains this award.