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Even before Kiserian Jackson, from Brockton, Massachusetts, was one of nineteen ²ÝÁñÉçÇø students who presented scientific research projects at the 10th Annual Rhode Island Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) Conference, he had been recognized by ²ÝÁñÉçÇø as a young leader capable of accomplishing great things.

In 2014, Jackson was selected as a recipient of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø’s Intercultural Leadership Ambassador Program & Scholarship, which provides a full-tuition scholarship to students from diverse backgrounds who demonstrate great academic and leadership potential. ILAPS, through its financial and personal support, has allowed him to thrive at ²ÝÁñÉçÇø and take full advantage of the opportunities he's come across here, such as his experience as a SURF fellow.

There, Jackson conducted PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing of eastern oysters infected with a common bacterium (Vibrio parahaemolyticus) that can be pathogenic to humans who consume raw oysters. Together with ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Professor Roxanna Smolowitz and ²ÝÁñÉçÇø Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory Technician Abbey Scro, he investigated whether oysters infected with three common diseases —  â€” are more prone to accumulate more of the bacteria (Vibrio parahaemolyticus) than an uninfected or mildly infected oyster, to help inform the state’s Shellfish Management Plan.

The experience required full-time lab work, he says, allowing him to get first-hand experience and has helped prepare him for post-graduate studies and a career in science. He is starting a Ph.D. program in molecular and cell biology at UMass-Amherst.