Biomedical Sciences Student Receives Undergraduate Research Award
Posted on May 30, 2025 by CAHP
Each year the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology selects undergraduate student chapter members from around the country as the recipients of grant funding that will support the students’ summer research projects.
Mariah Ledbetter, a rising junior studying biomedical sciences, was recently awarded a 2025 ASBMB Undergraduate Research Award of $1,200 to support her research on the coexpression of active exoenzyme Y and whether or not it decreases exoenzyme S-induced cytotoxicity in endothelial cells.
Mariah is a first generation student from Ranburne, Alabama, who had not considered research until she came to South. Her interest in research grew after completing the Biomedical Sciences Lab Bootcamp led by Dr. Phoibe Renema, assistant professor of biomedical sciences.
“I decided last fall that I wanted to pursue research in her lab, and so I began shadowing her undergraduate student researcher, Connor Holm, who recently graduated,” Mariah said.
With support from Renema and Holm, Mariah received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in addition to the ASBMB award.
“I cannot put into words how much this award means to me on a personal level, because I never dreamed that I would be able to do research, much less be recognized for it,” Mariah said. “I am truly honored to receive this award, and I couldn't have done it without help from my mentors. I never could have fathomed that I would be doing research, but with the help of ASBMB, I am able to.”
“Mariah has an insightful and inquisitive approach to research. She asks the kind of questions that really move a research project forward. She is taking on the important responsibility of continuing a project started by a former student and is already bringing fresh ideas to it,” Renema said. “I am so pleased that she received the ASBMB Research Award; it is a well-deserved recognition that will support her as she takes the project in a new direction.”
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is a nonprofit professional society made up of 11,000 members that builds and empowers scientists to advance discovery. The University of South Alabama’s student chapter offers exciting professional opportunities such as tuition scholarships, research funding, travel awards to national meetings and community outreach.