糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Student Awarded Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Research Grant
University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate teaching assistant Rebekah White is one of 20 recipients nationwide selected for a Graduate Research Grant by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi for her biological research into the photosynthetic mechanism and stress responses of cyanobacteria. Photo by Ben Krain.A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student has been awarded a $1,500 from Phi Kappa Phi for her biology research.聽Rebekah White, a Ph.D. student in applied biosciences at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, will use funds from the award to support biological research into the photosynthetic mechanism and stress responses of cyanobacteria.鈥淚t鈥檚 always exciting to get a little boost for my research, and it will be really nice to have a grant that is specified for my project,鈥 White said. 鈥淚 will be able to get some specialized equipment to help with my electron microscope work and to help prepare the samples. I鈥檓 also looking into getting some antibodies targeting proteins involved in photosynthesis.鈥The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines, awards grants of up to $1,500 to support graduate students who are active Society members seeking funding for research in support of career development opportunities. White is one of 20 recipients nationwide to receive the award.Established in 2018, the grants are part of the society鈥檚 robust awards program, which gives $1 million each year to outstanding students and members through study abroad grants, graduate fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives.聽A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, White decided to attend 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock because her parents attended graduate school in Little Rock about 30 years ago.鈥淢y mother did speech pathology here at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, and my dad did his residency at 糖心Vlog传媒MS,鈥 White said. 鈥淢y parents both loved it here and talked about it all the time.鈥At 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, White is also a graduate teaching assistant and a senator in the Graduate Student Association. She plans to work in higher education after graduating in 2022 or 2023. The research she is conducting on the photosynthetic mechanism and stress responses of cyanobacteria is part of her dissertation.鈥淢y specific research will benefit the community of scientists who use cyanobacteria,鈥 White said. 鈥淭here will be more broad implications where scientists who work with photosynthesis in larger plant life can apply it to their work with larger plants. It will be a series of small cause-and-effect research projects. It will contribute to an ever-growing body of knowledge about plants that we can use to make decisions about all of our plant life.鈥