Augusta University’s pledge to provide life-changing, life-saving education and its commitment to research excellence was showcased at the Student Training And Research Program poster session, hosted by The Graduate School.

Known as the STAR Program, it is designed to provide outstanding hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a research PhD degree in biomedical sciences, nursing or biostatistics at AU. Students engage in research in a supportive environment under the guidance of a faculty member and their research team for nine weeks in the summer.

The program has been part of the Graduate School’s commitment to training the next generation of biomedical scientists, with mentored undergraduate research experiences spanning three-plus decades, according to STAR Program Director Elena Dent, PhD.

“We are very fortunate to have graduate faculty who are not only experts in their respective fields but are also committed to mentoring the next generation of biomedical researchers. Their strong track records of trainee success reflect that dedication.”

Elena Dent, STAR Program director

For this year’s class, Dent recruited seven PhD mentors:

• Eric Vitriol, PhD, director of the neuroscience graduate program and associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
• Qin Wang, PhD, a professor in the Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine and Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine departments at MCG
• Wendy Bollag, PhD, a professor in MCG’s Department of Physiology
• Meghan McGee-Lawrence, PhD, a Regents’ Professor and chair of the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy in MCG
• Yutao Liu, PhD, a professor in MCG’s Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy
• Eric Belin de Chantemèle, PhD, the Leon H. Charbonnier Endowed Chair in Cellular Biology and Anatomy and a Regents’ Professor in the Vascular Biology Center
• Daria Ilatovskaya, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Physiology

Seven undergraduates from Georgia Institute of Technology, Mercer University, Dickinson College, East Carolina University, Oglethorpe University and Bryn Mawr College participated in professional development opportunities through weekly workshops and seminars.

“While many of our applicants are interested in medical school, which is needed to address the shortage of health care providers in Georgia, we are also working to build a strong research pipeline at AU,” Dent said. “Our goal is to attract students who are passionate about advancing health care through discovery and innovation. We are very fortunate to have graduate faculty who are not only experts in their respective fields but are also committed to mentoring the next generation of biomedical researchers. Their strong track records of trainee success reflect that dedication.”

Vitriol is a strong believer in near-peer mentoring, especially with undergraduates. He pairs undergraduates with graduate students or graduate students with research faculty in the lab, so they can work closely together and learn techniques through hands-on guidance. He was paired with Shelby Lewis, an Evans High School graduate currently studying neuroscience at Mercer.

“When she joined the lab, Shelby was really interested in working with human neurons that we derive from stem cells. I paired her with a great mentor in Bruno Cisterna, PhD, and with almost no kind of lab research experience, was able to jump in and quickly learn that experimental model system,” Vitriol said.

Vitriol said it was obvious to him that Lewis would be an exceptional student. She wanted to understand what was going on at every level and asked many questions about the project, its importance and about specific techniques, which impressed Vitriol.

“She had a lot of initiative and enthusiasm that I would consider exceptional,” Vitriol said. “Going from not knowing how to do sterile mammalian tissue culture to doing sophisticated tissue culture techniques and actually turning cells into other types of cells – that would be hard for a grad student or a postdoc, and she learned it almost immediately. Her growth was phenomenal over the course of the STAR Program.”

Lewis said she wanted to explore opportunities in research, and her professors encouraged her to explore all options, which led to her applying for the STAR Program. Coming home was a bonus, especially the chance to work in her community.

“I’ve taken a variety of science courses at school, and I knew I wanted to work on something that is actively affecting communities worldwide,” Lewis said. “Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions of people every year, especially in the United States and in my own family. I think working with cell culture and neurodegenerative diseases was a perfect fit for everything that I’ve learned and everything that I want to learn.”

Lewis, who is looking forward to working in a research lab in the fall, said she had amazing mentors who encouraged her to be optimistic every day.

Lewis appreciated the opportunity to work in a smaller community and said the AU faculty and staff, The Graduate School and the STAR Program fostered a sense of community. She was particularly excited about the relationships she built during the program.

“They gave me a level of optimism that I didn’t have before. They told me not to dwell on your mistakes but to move on and see how you can do better. Dr. Vitriol told me on the first day, ‘If you work hard and put time and effort into your experiments, it’ll work out. Even if it’s not what you expected to happen, you can get back up and try again,'” Lewis said. “Those are things that I’ll take, not just in science, but in life because things aren’t always going to go how we expect.”

At the end of the program luncheon, Dent announced the 2025 STAR Award recipients:

• The Eldridge Award for research accomplishments and scientific potential – Charlee Hutt
• The Ebad Hasan Memorial Award for outstanding character – Elena Vega
• The Patricia L. Cameron Award for overall outstanding performance – Nidhi Shenoy
• Mentor Award for outstanding mentorship – Eric Belin de Chantemèle, PhD, and Adam Salon, PhD

Applications for the Summer 2026 session open Sept. 1 and are due by Feb. 6, 2026. Visit the STAR webpage to apply or for more information.