Communicating about science to a general audience is not any easy task, but Alicia Piazza (BSc ’21) has honed the skill of sharing her research in simple and engaging ways during her nine years at Brock.

That skill helped to earn her the People’s Choice Award for her poster presentation at the Graduate Research (GRaD) Conference for the second year in a row.

Piazza, a PhD in Biological Sciences candidate, was one of more than 50 Brock graduate students who participated in the annual conference organized by the Graduate Mathematics and Science Students (GRAMSS) on Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28. The event is an opportunity for students to practise their presentation skills and learn about research from other departments that may have interdisciplinary connections to their own areas of study.

Participants gave oral or poster presentations and were judged on their communication, presentation and knowledge translation skills.

“I think the key to getting people interested in your work is knowing your audience,” says Piazza. “I break down my research to make it more digestible, so people actually enjoy listening to me talk.”

Piazza is specializing in neurobiology and physiology and is working with Biological Sciences professors Aleksandar Necakov and Gaynor Spencer, her PhD supervisor. Her research examines a signalling molecule called retinoic acid (derived from vitamin A) in invertebrates (animals without backbones), such as flies and snails.

“Retinoids are vitamin A metabolites, so they’re essential for processes like brain development and repair,” says Piazza. “They tell cells where to go and guide them to form connections with specific target cells in the developing brain. The process of re-forming lost connections following injury is critical for successful regeneration of the nervous system.”

Retinoids can promote cell regeneration in many adult invertebrates, but most adult vertebrates (animals with backbones) are not capable of regenerating their central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

“Retinoids are important for learning and memory in the adult brain, and if there’s deficiency in the retinoid signalling pathway in adulthood, there is some evidence that it could contribute to Alzheimer’s disease,” says Piazza.

Piazza’s research is aimed at better understanding the signalling pathways that underlie regeneration and the effects of retinoids in small invertebrates that are capable of regeneration.

To do this, Piazza is studying interactions that underly retinoid signalling and their receptor proteins in the invertebrate brain. By using specialized fluorescent proteins, they can see live interactions inside the brain that would otherwise not be visible and are able to detect interactions between retinoids and their receptor proteins.

“We can then potentially carry over this understanding of retinoid signalling in invertebrate brains to vertebrates, which don’t regenerate,” she says. “Why for example, can snails regenerate but humans can’t?”

In addition to receiving the People’s Choice Award for her poster presentation, Piazza was awarded a Norgen Rising Star for her leadership and contributions to her academic field.

One area of focus she is especially enthusiastic about is her mentorship efforts with Niagara Girls SySTEM Mentorship, a Canadian non-profit organization focused on increasing diversity in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by pairing women and girls in Grades 7 to 12 with mentors.

“None of my immediate family went to post-secondary, nor did they study STEM, so I didn’t receive mentorship until I attended Brock,” she says. “When I was an undergrad, the PhD students around me mentored me and got me really excited about science. I think mentorship is invaluable and I enjoy sharing my experiences with others.”

Norgen Rising Star award winners

• Alicia Piazza, PhD in Biological Sciences, Neuroscience — “Utilizing a Live CNS Organ Culture to Study Functional Retinoid Signalling”
• Georgia Charachousou, MSc in Kinesiology — “Validity of a Mobile Phone Application for the Assessment of Heat Stress in People Who Exercise”

Poster presentation awards

• First place: Hamsima Keppetiyawa, MSc in Physics — “Two-Dimensional Titanium Carbide MXene for Lithium-Ion Conductive Solid-State Electrolytes”
• Second place: Anton Dinh, MA in Psychology — “Comparing The Effects of Parental Experience on Cognition and Anxiety-Like Behaviour in Female and Male Degus”
• Third place: Bao Le, PhD in Biotechnology — “The genetic landscape of mobile elements in the human genome”
• People’s Choice: Alicia Piazza, PhD in Biological Sciences, Neuroscience — “Utilizing a Live CNS Organ Culture to Study Functional Retinoid Signaling”
• Honourable Mention: Kingston Wong, PhD in Psychology — “Sex-Dependent Alterations to the Gut Microbiota and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Rats Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol”

Oral presentation awards

• First place: Wantao (Noah) Xiao, PhD in Biotechnology — “Transcriptomic Evidence of Melatonin Agonism for Human 5-HT2A Receptor in HEK293 Cells”
• Second place: Daniel Philipow, MSc in Biological Sciences — “Use of Saccharomyces uvarum CN1 to Mitigate Negative Effects of Botrytis and Sour Rot in White Wine”
• Third place: Andrew Sheehan, MA in Psychology, Neuroscience — “Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Alters Social Motivation in Early Adolescent Male and Female Sprague Dawley Rats”
• Honourable Mention: Miriam El-Morched, PhD in Biotechnology, Chemistry — “Designing Simulated Cytoplasmic Fluids”

Oral proposal presentation awards

• First place: Sambavi Arulnandhy, MSc in Mathematics and Statistics — “Exploring Sex and Age Differences in Aperiodic EEG Activity Among Children with ADHD”
• Second place: Stephanie Bedard, MSc in Biotechnology, Chemistry — “Synthesis of Cyclic Azobenzene Bisammonium with Photo Switching Capabilities for Spatiotemporal Control of DNA and Cell Membranes”
• Third place: Sultan Mussakhan, PhD in Biotechnology — “The Hidden Genetic Legacy of Neanderthals and Denisovans in Modern Humans Through the Lens of Mobile Elements”
• Honourable Mention: Nima Jadarnia, MSc in Physics — “Development of Novel Hybrid Bamboo/Timber Engineered Materials”