Research Day 2007
02/26/2007

Celebrating imagination, innovation and discovery
By Veronica Jauriqui

It may have been the longest three minutes of their lives. But when it was over, Scott Morita and Nolan Jangaard beamed a smile of relief, then slapped each other a high five.

The duo, donned in dark suits with matching cardinal and gold ties, had rehearsed their talking points, trading off sections to complete a well-executed presentation. For the doctoral dental freshman and doctoral dental sophomore, this was the culmination of more than two years of basic science research and the first time either had publicly presented their findings.

Their topic, the role of p53 in creating and maintaining luminal space during embryonic submandibular salivary gland morphogenesis, was a lot to cover in the allotted three minutes.

“We’re not going to lie, we’ve been rehearsing what we were going to say for weeks,” Morita says.

And in the end, it was worth it as the duo took first place in the basic science category at this year’s Research Day, an event that celebrated the research, innovation and imagination of USCSD’s students and faculty. [for a complete list of Research Day 2007 winners click here]

The event was organized by Dennis Mangan, the school’s associate dean of innovation and discovery. Research Day 2007 not only brought in faculty to present their research proposals, but invited USCSD’s newest associates in the school’s divisions of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy to participate.

“We really wanted this year to be inclusive,” Mangan explains, “we have this great new alignment and wanted to give everybody the opportunity not only to share their research but to see everything that is going on with their colleagues in dentistry, and in OT and PT.”

Sixty research projects conducted by nearly 250 researchers from USC and partner schools around the world were displayed. Topics were as diverse as cytomegalovirus-enduced embryopathology to the role caretakers play in medical care of a child. Amerigo Rossi, a doctoral candidate in Biokinesiology, says an event like Research Day is an opportunity to bring together researchers in a variety of disciplines to share their findings, but also their love of the research process.

“Just in the time I’ve been here I feel like I’ve already learned so much about teeth,” Rossi says. “But more importantly, I can see how other people conduct their research, what interests them, how they present their proposals. It’s been a really great learning experience.”

Mangan hopes the setting will help illuminate how the various disciplines aligned within the School of Dentistry are related, as well as inspire opportunities for research collaborations.

“I heard quite a few comments from our dental students and dental faculty who were already thinking about ways their research was connected to something going on at OT or PT,” Mangan says. “It would be great if this could launch a few interdisciplinary projects that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise. That would be our ultimate goal.”

Twenty-three students in dentistry, occupational science and occupational therapy and biokinesiology and physical therapy won first-, second-, and third-place awards in seven different categories.

Mangan expects next year’s Research Day to be even bigger and better. Research Day will be extended to two days, with poster presentations, judging and a mixer on Wednesday, February 13, and guest speaker presentations and awards on Thursday, February 14. The USCSD Valentines Day celebration will conclude with an afternoon of free oral screenings to the public.

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