Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Liberty University Biology Department Students, Professor Earn Virginia Academy of Science's Top Award
  • USA - English


News provided by

Liberty University

May 30, 2014, 17:25 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

Dr. Gary Isaacs, associate professor of biology at Liberty University, and his students have researched the effects of Alzheimer's Disease cells in mice.
Dr. Gary Isaacs, associate professor of biology at Liberty University, and his students have researched the effects of Alzheimer's Disease cells in mice.

Lynchburg, VA (PRWEB) May 30, 2014 -- Liberty University Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Gary Isaacs and four of his former students received the J. Shelton Horsley award at the Virginia Academy of Science’s Annual Meeting on May 16 at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. The award is the highest honor conferred by the academy for original research.

The team received the award for an article published in a recent issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

“This is truly exceptional for students to be involved in this level of research as undergraduates,” said Dr. David DeWitt, professor and chair of the Department of Biology & Chemistry. “For the study to be recognized with an award demonstrates the results of faculty and students committed to excellence in their endeavors.”

Isaacs called Noor Taher (’13) the driving force behind the article. Taher just completed his first year of graduate school at Dartmouth University, where he is working on his Ph.D. Courtney McKenzie (’12), who has completed her second year of veterinary school at Virginia Tech, and Rebecca Garrett (’12), who is a lab technician at the University of Virginia, provided initial research at Liberty before Matthew Baker (’14), who will start medical school at George Washington University this fall, also assisted with experiments and the writing of the manuscript.

For the third year in a row, Liberty undergraduate students also received recognition at the meeting for best poster and best oral presentation in the biology/microbiology category.

Competition is not limited to undergraduate students; half of the submissions are from master’s students, Ph.D. students, professors, and research technicians. Judges reviewed published articles, posters, and oral presentations from hundreds of students and faculty members from schools across the state.

Rising senior Amanda Hazy, working under Isaacs’ supervision, won for her poster illustrating how genes being turned on and off in the brain can be analyzed using cells from blood samples as indicators.

Ryan Montalvo, who graduated May 10 with a B.S. in cellular and molecular biology, won for his talk on how laboratory, commensal, and probiotic E. coli adapts to the intestine and competes with the intestinal microbione. He received research direction from Associate Professor of Microbiology Dr. Andrew Fabich.

Hannah Drown ('14), a pre-med student who graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences, was also awarded honorable mention for her poster produced under the supervision of Fabich. Drown’s research focused on the rise of novel antibiotic resistances by bacteria in the intestine. Cassandra Black, Abigail Lenz, and Matt Bingham also presented their research with Fabich about their work understanding how pathogenic E. coli causes disease.

DeWitt said the students’ overall performance at the annual meeting was impressive.

“Repeated awards such as this are strong testimony of the quality of our program and our students in the Department of Biology & Chemistry,” he said. “The equipment and resources that we now have available allow our students to be involved in biomedical-related research at a very competitive level.”

The week after winning these awards, Fabich and Montalvo presented their research at the General Meeting for the American Society for Microbiology in Boston.

Last year, Isaacs received a $40,000 grant to continue his research, assisted by students, analyzing the chemical modifications found in the brain of mice affected by Alzheimer’s disease. This study should be concluded by the fall semester and be ready for submission by the end of the school year.

When Liberty’s new Science Hall, part of a $500 million campus rebuilding, opens for the 2015 spring semester, it will feature a state-of-the-art mouse research lab on the bottom floor.

“My job is to not only complete the projects we’re working on now, but to think about the future, to develop an ongoing program,” Isaacs said.

Beyond his students' Alzheimer's research, Isaacs plans to introduce a study on how diets affect the brain throughout the aging process.

About Liberty University
Liberty University, founded in 1971, is the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation, the largest university in Virginia, and the largest Christian university in the world. Located near the Blue Ridge Mountains on more than 7,000 acres in Lynchburg, Va., Liberty offers more than 350 unique programs of study from the associate to the doctoral level. More than 180 programs are offered online. Liberty’s mission is to train Champions for Christ with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact tomorrow’s world.

Johnnie Moore, Liberty University, +1 (434) 582-2250, [email protected]

Modal title

Dr. Andrew Fabich (center) with Liberty University students (left to right) Cassandra Black, Hannah Drown, Ryan Montalvo, and Abigail Lenz at the Virginia Academy of Science Annual Meeting on May 16.
Dr. Andrew Fabich (center) with Liberty University students (left to right) Cassandra Black, Hannah Drown, Ryan Montalvo, and Abigail Lenz at the Virginia Academy of Science Annual Meeting on May 16.
Dr. Andrew Fabich (center) with Liberty University students (left to right) Cassandra Black, Hannah Drown, Ryan Montalvo, and Abigail Lenz at the Virginia Academy of Science Annual Meeting on May 16.

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.