That hope became a reality when more than 50 students packed into a lecture hall for one of the club鈥檚 first events.

鈥淚 knew our efforts had truly made an impact,鈥� Mortazi said. 鈥淭hat moment made all the hard week feel incredibly worthwhile.鈥�

Creating community has been at the heart of Mortazi鈥檚 college experience. A first-generation American born in Tehran, Iran, Mortazi spent parts of his childhood in Cyprus before moving to Mountain Home, Arkansas. He found a home at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock through the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program, where he thrived in both research and student leadership.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology with a concentration in pre-medicine and a minor in chemistry. But his journey toward medicine has been shaped just as much by the communities he built on campus as by the academic milestones.

Over the past four years, Mortazi co-founded several student organizations, including the Pre-Health Club, the Research and Creative Works Club, and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 chapter of the Materials Research Society, a nationally recognized group that hosts symposiums for student research. He was also active in the American Chemical Society, the Aerospace Club, and the Biology Club.

鈥溙切腣log传媒 Little Rock has been incredibly supportive of student-led initiatives,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t gave me the opportunity to build several new communities on campus.鈥�

Mortazi said one of the most meaningful experiences he had at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock has been volunteering as a phlebotomist at the 糖心Vlog传媒MS 12th Street Health and Wellness Center. 

鈥淓very time I draw blood there, I鈥檓 reminded of how important access to care is, especially for underrepresented and underserved communities in Little Rock,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel incredibly grateful to be part of this work, and I see it as a way to give back to a community that has welcomed and supported me throughout my journey.鈥�

That spirit of support was mirrored in his academic experience. Mortazi conducted four years of undergraduate research with Dr. Noureen Siraj, associate professor of chemistry, earning co-authorship on a peer-reviewed publication and presenting his work at conferences at the local, state, and international levels.

鈥淒r. Siraj鈥檚 mentorship has been instrumental in shaping my growth as a researcher and future physician,鈥� Mortazi said. 鈥淲ith the support of grants like the Signature Experience Grant and SURF, I was even able to collaborate with a federal lab to study antibiotic resistance.鈥�

He also credits Dr. William Allen, his Human Gross Anatomy professor and a retired emergency medicine physician, with deepening his understanding of both medicine and history.

鈥淒r. Allen brings deep wisdom, not only about the human body but also about history,鈥� he said. 鈥淲henever I had questions, he not only gave me direct answers but also helped me find memorable ways to retain the information. I also learned a great deal from his rich knowledge of history.鈥�

On the next step in his academic career, Mortazi will enter the Medical Scholars in Public Health Program at 糖心Vlog传媒MS, where he will begin work on a Master of Public Health (MPH) before transitioning into medical school. His long-term goal is to graduate with both an MD and MPH, blending clinical medicine with a foundation in public health.

鈥淢y research experience helped me understand how medications are developed and tested,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut my anatomy courses and teaching assistantship showed me the human side鈥攈ow every system works together. That balance is what I want in my career.鈥�

Though his time at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is ending, Mortazi says the campus and community will always feel like home.

鈥淕raduating feels bittersweet,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly grateful to have been part of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock family and the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program, both of which made Little Rock feel like a second home. While I鈥檒l miss the connections and memories I鈥檝e made here, I鈥檓 excited to embrace new experiences and opportunities ahead.鈥�

As a mentor and Trojan Tutor, he offered advice that reflects his values of humility, curiosity, and compassion.鈥淒on鈥檛 hesitate to ask for help,鈥� Mortazi said. 鈥溙切腣log传媒 Little Rock has an outstanding team of tutors in the library, and the faculty are incredibly knowledgeable and approachable. And be kind to everyone you meet.  College goes by quickly, but a simple act of kindness can lead to lifelong friendships and a more meaningful college experience.鈥�

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Mortazi was one of 20 students nationwide selected to gain hands-on research and clinical experience through ACH鈥檚 Summer Science Internship Program.

鈥淲hen I got that call and found out that I鈥檇 been accepted, I was shocked,鈥� Mortazi recalled. 鈥淚 had applied to probably a dozen internships, and this one felt like a reach, but I applied anyway. I was super stoked to find out I was accepted.鈥�

The internship was focused on advanced medical research and also gave students the opportunity to shadow physicians in various specialties. During his internship, Mortazi observed professionals in neurosurgery, emergency medicine, as well as plastic surgery.

Mortazi spent his internship working under the guidance of Dr. Graham Strub on his R01 research project focused on inhibiting microRNA-21. The goal of this research is to address Lymphatic Malformation in Endothelial Cells (LMEC), vascular anomalies that can happen anywhere on the body and can be extremely disruptive to those impacted.

鈥淭hese LMEC can prevent eating, breathing, sight, and can happen anywhere,鈥� Mortazi explained. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not supposed to happen. We鈥檙e trying to address the core issue. Current treatments like laser or surgery are only temporary solutions because the core of the problem is microRNA 21, which inhibits tumor suppressors and causes the LMEC to return.鈥�

Mortazi credited 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock with preparing him to be able to go in and pick up different techniques, despite having limited experience with the research topic prior to his internship.

鈥淚t was a pretty seamless transition,鈥� Mortazi noted. 鈥淢y experience in the labs here at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock had me well equipped.鈥�

During his internship, Mortazi worked with Dr. Strub, as well as Dr. Haihong Zhang and Dr. Syed Jafar Mehdi, who imparted valuable knowledge. He also had the opportunity to use high end equipment, including the digital droplet PCR (ddPCR), to identify potential issues in DNA sequences.

Mortazi found his experience at Arkansas Children鈥檚 Hospital highly rewarding.

鈥淚t was amazing to be in an environment where there are children next door and we鈥檙e treating their problems,鈥� stated Mortazi. 鈥淚t really puts into perspective how translational this research is.鈥�

Mortazi emphasized the importance of increased involvement in medicine.

鈥淢edicine is a gift to everyone,鈥� stated Mortazi. 鈥淭his experience really opened my eyes to how much help is needed. The more people get involved in medicine, the more of these research developments we can make and ultimately the more people we can help.鈥�

Although his internship is over, Mortazi plans to continue his research with Dr. Strub as a volunteer.

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Under the guidance of Dr. Noureen Siraj, associate professor of chemistry at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Mortazi has been working to develop a means to address the issue of antibiotic resistance. His approach involves merging an ionic synthesis of a dye with a commercial antibiotic, developing a dual-killing mechanism that induces a photothermal therapeutic effect, otherwise known as PTT.

Mortazi, who was one of nine SURF grant recipients from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock this year, expressed his gratitude and excitement for having been selected for this grant amongst a pool of talented applicants. The SURF grant, totaling $4,000, is a significant asset to Mortazi鈥檚 research.

“It was surreal,鈥� shared Mortazi, a Donaghey Scholar from Mountain Home. 鈥淚t honestly was really shocking the first time I received the grant. It鈥檚 very competitive and limited, they can鈥檛 give it to everyone, so getting that email was exciting.” Armin has received the grant once again for the 2024 year for a different project.

Mortazi credits his interest in researching antibiotics to his work as a pharmacy technician, where he has witnessed firsthand the impact that antibiotics have on patients.

鈥淎ntibiotics are prescribed to kill bacteria, but the ones that don鈥檛 die become resistant bacteria, or superbugs,鈥� said Mortazi. 鈥淭his is bad news, because the only way to treat resistant bacteria is with a stronger dose of antibiotics. If the patient does not dispose of the antibiotic properly then the same cycle can repeat. By increasing these doses we are not solving the problem but merely putting a lid on it. With this project, we are one step closer to a solution.鈥�

鈥淲e need more students participating in research,鈥� said Mortazi. 鈥淭he more students we have researching, the more answers we can come up with.鈥�

Moving forward, Mortazi plans to pursue medical school and become a physician. Mortazi, the founder of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Pre-Health Club, is a passionate advocate for more student involvement in research as an important source of answers. The recently founded club boasts 130 members and invites more to join as it grows.

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Oyebade won second place for his poster in the graduate student poster contest. His poster presentation was on the synthesis, characterization, and in vitro studies of ionic materials as combination nanomedicines. His research aims to enhance the selective toxicity of the widely used chemotherapy drug, Doxorubicin, towards tumor cells to diminish its side effects.

鈥淭he use of combination nanomedicines (CNMs) is a promising approach to treating tumors using two or more different mechanisms,鈥� explained Oyebade. 鈥淢oreover, nanoparticle-based drugs exhibit increased intracellular concentration in cancer cells and lower toxicity in normal cells.鈥�

In the undergraduate category, Sadaka received second place for his poster on the evolution of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Sadaka expressed gratitude to his mentor, Dr. Mohammad Goodarzi, for his mentorship and encouragement and highlighted the value in the networking opportunities provided by the consortium.

鈥淚’m doing research under Dr. Mohammad Goodarzi, who has been the greatest help to me and has always encouraged me,鈥� said Sadaka. 鈥淭he Arkansas Bioinformatics Consortium brought together students from all over Arkansas to compete with each other and meet great people from the National Center for Toxicological Research. This year’s agenda focused on Artificial Intelligence learning, and a handful of interesting guest speakers showed AI’s future in public health and bioinformatics.鈥�

Mortazi won third place in the undergraduate poster contest for his research on integrating antibiotics with photothermal therapy to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Mortazi, a Donaghey Scholar, emphasized his gratitude for the opportunity to share his research and engage with fellow scientists.

鈥淚 enjoyed sharing the promising results that I have obtained with people who have dedicated their whole careers around projects like mine,鈥� stated Mortazi. 鈥淚t was a valuable experience to be surrounded by and speak with so many interesting and knowledgeable scientists. It was an experience I will never forget and I am so grateful for the opportunity!鈥�

Qu won in the most popular category. This award is voted on by attendees at large.

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The program, 鈥淧osters at the Capitol,鈥� ran from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students presented during the second block from Noon to 1:15 p.m.

Armin Mortazi, who studies Biology and Chemistry, was one of the six presenters. Mortazi鈥檚 team under Dr. Noureen Siraj developed research on an approach to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria that infect millions of people worldwide.

They used an ionic exchange method to synthesize an antibiotic and a dye. Dye absorbs heat, and when combined with the antibiotic, it creates a kind of combination therapy that showed promising results in their initial trials.

Mortazi presented this research at the capitol, where attendees included Representative Andrew Collins from his own home district, district 73. This event provided the students with an opportunity to expose and shine a light on their research.

鈥淥ur research has real-world implications, and I felt it was important to share it with someone who could take action to support it,鈥� Mortazi said. 鈥淚t was inspiring to see how much support and investment there is in scientific research and innovation, and it emphasized the importance of continued funding and resources.鈥�

This was several students鈥� first experience presenting research of this magnitude, including chemistry student Shiraz Atif. For his project, Atif researched ways to eliminate the textile industry鈥檚 contribution to water pollution. He used carbonized waste cigarette filters鈥� the largest pollutant globally鈥� to remove the pollutant dye in the water, presenting a low-cost adsorbent that could alleviate water pollution and cigarette waste in the environment at the same time.

鈥淚 definitely had some hiccups, but after a while it all became second nature,鈥� Atif said. 鈥淭his project has taught me a lot, the most important being that teamwork and being on the same page is crucial for major projects like this. If it were not for Dr. Siraj, the graduate students, and the other undergraduate students that work under her, this project would still be in the planning phase.鈥�

Research requires a lot of patience, and that鈥檚 something that these students had to learn when working on their respective projects. For Cecile Barnes, who is studying medical sciences, the research process was slow, but worth it in the end. In summer 2022, Barnes worked as an undergraduate student at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (糖心Vlog传媒MS) in the Biomedical Science building. Her mentor at the time, Dr. Eric Peterson, came up with the idea for her to research liver inflammation of rats exposed to methamphetamine and the drugs that could weaken the effects.

Barnes worked with pioglitazone (PIO), an anti-inflammatory that lessens the impact of METH-induced inflammation on the liver. The goal was to see a decrease in the rats鈥� inflammation through the help of PIO, and although Barnes was unable to develop conclusive results, the project is still ongoing in Dr. Peterson鈥檚 lab.

鈥淭here were times we believed it was going in the right direction just to have to turn around and trouble shoot more ideas to try,鈥� Barnes said. 鈥淢edicine has always been a passion of mine, so getting to research, even though it鈥檚 not the field I plan on being in, was fun and insightful. Having this experience made me realize I want to explore clinical research either during or after I become a doctor.鈥�

The presenters included:

• Shiraz Atif, Chemistry, 鈥淐arbonized Waste Cigarette Filters as Novel, Low-Cost Adsorbents of Methylene Blue Dye鈥�
• Cecile Barnes, Medical Sciences, 鈥淐haracterization of the effect of a PPAR-y Agonist on METH-induced inflammation in Rodent Hepatic Tissues鈥�
• Arisha Ishtiaq, Chemistry, 鈥淚nvestigation of the mechanism of enhanced photothermal effect of combination ionic nanomedicines鈥�
• Mikiya McAdory, Chemistry, 鈥淪tudies in hydridic reduction of alkynyl hydrazones via sigmatropic rearrangement to form allenes鈥�
• Armin Mortazi, Chemistry, 鈥淐ombination Therapy Approach to Combat Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria鈥�
• Licheng Xu, Ilhamm Kadhim, Nazneen Begum, and William King, Biology, 鈥淯p-regulation of Osh6 prolongs the G2 phase of the cell cycle鈥�

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