Two UNLV students received the Best Student Paper Awards at the Arizona/Nevada Academy of Science Conference recently held in Flagstaff.
Anna Draa, who is working on her master of science degree in geology, won in the physical science category for her paper titled "GIS-Based Analysis of Mountain Block Recharger for Owens Lake Playa, Calif."
Working under the advisement of professor Richard L. Orndorff, Draa researched the Owens Valley, Calif., basin, which supplies the majority of fresh water to Southern California. The area has been the subject of political and scientific debate regarding water rights.
"This award is a reflection of the importance of what Anna is researching and the approach she's taking to solving water resource problems in the arid Southwest," said Orndorff, who noted that Draa was selected from all physical science researchers for the award.
Draa is the head teaching assistant in UNLV's department of geoscience. She is a geology graduate of Youngstown State University.
"Anna is a good communicator as well as a good scientist," Orndorff said. "That combination serves her well both in the classroom and in organizing her fellow graduate students."
Ambar Faridi received the honor in the life science category for her paper titled "In Vitro Anticancer Drug Screening: Comparison Between Mitochondrial Dehydrogenase and Colony Formation as Assay Techniques."
Faridi recently graduated magna cum laude at age 20 with a bachelor's degree in biology and minors in chemistry and English from UNLV. She works as a technician at the ECP Heart Centre in Las Vegas and teaches life science to middle school students once a week.
Faridi was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and moved to the United States in 1992. She is currently applying to medical schools while taking graduate courses at UNLV. She also continues to assist the research of chemistry professor J. Abiodun Elegbede.
"Ambar is a hard-working student who is very conscientious and dependable," Elegbede said. "She has taken leadership roles in the lab, and her hard work and reliability have paid off in her award-winning presentation."
The Arizona/Nevada Academy of Science focuses on science specific to Arizona and Nevada. Its annual meeting brings together students and faculty from UNLV, Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona State University in Tempe, and the University of Arizona, Tucson.
The UNLV student research was supported in part by grants from the UNLV Planning Initiative Award and the Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities.
