Nov. 22, 2006

Contact: Gordon Ovenshine: 724-738-4854; gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu

SRU BIOCHEMISTRY MAJOR PLACES SECOND

AT NATIONAL RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM FOR WORK WITH HORSES

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. –For researching the effect of obesity on horses, Slippery Rock University biochemistry major Kimberly Negrin placed second nationally in the biological sciences category at the Ninth Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences, held at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Negrin, of New Castle, traveled around Virginia last summer to randomly study 300 horses, finding that 47 percent were overweight and had elevated blood-sugar levels. She is examining correlations between weight, high blood sugar and diabetes in horses and looking at  possible parallels to human diabetes.

Negrin, a junior, conducted her research in conjunction with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech's veterinary school. She measured the circumference of horses’ necks to gauge their weight and hopes to raise awareness about horse obesity.

 She presented “Prevalence of Obesity and Its Relationships to Hyperinsulinemia Oxidative Stress in Horses” at the symposium. The symposium showcased undergraduate research in chemistry, biology and biochemistry. Two other SRU biochemistry majors Amanda Henry of Renfrew and Rebecca of Sewickley placed first in the biochemical science category for their human cell research.

Negrin hopes to become a veterinarian.  “It was really exciting, and I am very proud of my accomplishment,” Negrin said. “The experience at Virginia Tech was amazing. It helped me decided what my calling in life is and that's with animals.”

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