U-RISE Trainees

 Julianna Bonetti came to NSU with a passion for research from North New Jersey. With past research experience at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in tissue regeneration, she committed to NSU’s Razor’s Edge Research program. She is currently a third-year chemistry major with minors in research studies, pre-health, and psychology. Julianna remains very involved on campus as president of the Pressure Dance team and Inter-Organization Council (IOC) chair of the Chemistry club. Before Julianna’s acceptance into the U-RISE program, she worked as an Emergency Room medical scribe for Florida Medical Center where she learned how many patients suffer a multitude of comorbidities that directly affect their everyday life. One that caught her interest the most was the effects dementia has on a patient’s health. Julianna is currently involved in neurodegenerative research with mentors Dr. Robert Speth and Dr. Lisa Robison. The overall ongoing research project is to determine whether anti-hypertensive drugs can work as a treatment for the neurodegenerative disease, cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Furthermore, Julianna hopes to study the effects cerebral amyloid angiopathy may have on other systems of the body apart from the neurovascular system. She anticipates graduating in May of 2025 and pursuing a Ph.D. in either Medicinal Chemistry or Pharmacology.

2023-2025 Cohort

Mentored by Dr. Dmitriy Minond

A Florida native, Chloe Brooks-Noriega enrolled at NSU in 2021 following high school graduation and is slated to graduate in May of 2025. Chloe is studying Chemistry and Biology at NSU, with minors in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Data Analytics. With the U-RISE program, she has been focused on pharmaceutical melanoma research, specifically aiding in data analysis of RNA expression. Prior to this, Chloe participated in research on Glioblastoma, as well as the writing of a review article on the same subject.

In September of 2021, Chloe became the Secretary of Soap Box Speaks, as well as initiated enrollment in the NSU Chemistry Club and NSU Pre-pharmacy Society, both of which she’s been an active participant in since. In January 2023 she began participating in organization and planning for A Day for Children as a volunteer coordinator and acted as such during the event on October 21st. As of November, she has been selected as the lead volunteer coordinator for the upcoming year and will be helping to train the next group of coordinators and general volunteers.

Chloe worked as an independent general chemistry tutor for five months, developing educational skills and marketing her services independently, from August to December of 2022, shortly followed in January of 2023 by employment at NSU as a Lab Assistant for Organic Chemistry. She concluded this period of employment in April of 2023 and is slated to begin as an Anatomy & Physiology II lab assistant in the Winter 2024 semester.

Maria Mercedes Castellon was born in Miami, Florida to immigrant parents from Nicaragua. She went to Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy for high school, during which she earned the academic award for Anatomy & Physiology and participated in the National Honor Society and Green Club. After graduation, she started her journey at Nova Southeastern University, pursuing a major in biology with a double minor in chemistry and dance. She is also part of the Hallyu Club & Dance Team and enjoys performing dance showcases on campus with them. As a URISE trainee, she is doing research on periodontal disease. Additionally, she is currently doing an independent study in chemistry which focuses on biological volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) found in native flowers to South Florida. During her summer vacation she worked in Dr. Coelho’s lab at the University of Miami where most of the projects focused on biomaterials. Apart from gaining experience in the lab, Maria has worked in OIIT at NSU as a lab monitor and IT student technician and worked in retail during the summer and winter breaks. During these experiences, she gained knowledge and skills in customer service, sales and encryption and deployment, among many others. After graduation, Maria plans to pursue a PhD with hopes to investigate the pathogenesis of different diseases and gain knowledge on microbials derived from flowers.

Chetana Movva, originally from Tampa, Florida, is currently in her third year, double majoring in biology and English, with minors in research studies, honors transdisciplinary studies, and pre-health. She is currently a Razors Edge Research scholar, a BS/DO candidate, and a member of the honors college.  She solidified her interest in pursuing research in her future career through her involvement in the Razor’s Edge research program where she completed research-focused coursework and got involved in a lab. Before her acceptance into the U-RISE program, Chetana pursued her research interest in oncology by doing a research internship where she worked on the development of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for lung and breast cancer patients. Within the U-RISE program, Chetana is currently involved in Dr. Lubov Nathanson's lab within NSU's Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, investigating the chronic illnesses of Gulf War Illness (GWI) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS). The focus of ongoing projects within Dr. Nathanson's lab is to understand the underlying mechanisms and influencing factors of these diseases.

Chetana is also heavily involved on campus as president and founder of Girl Up Florida, where she and her team have donated thousands of feminine hygiene products to the homeless population of South Florida and serves as a member of the President's 64. Outside of school, Chetana is co-president of Girl Up USA South, which oversees the Girl Up chapters in 11 different states, and has served on the International Executive Council of HOSA-Future Health Professionals with over 290,000 members worldwide as International Postsecondary/Collegiate Vice President. She anticipates graduating in May of 2026 to pursue an MD-PHD.

Grace Wong is a third-year student double majoring in Neuroscience and Biology with minors in Public Health and Pre-Health. Grace’s passion for research stemmed from analyzing the effects of synthetic psychedelic phenethylamine drugs on neural progenitor cells with Dr. James Munoz’s lab.  
With U-RISE, Grace is involved in Dr. Richard Deth’s lab, investigating oxidative stress and related antioxidant and methylation reactions. The Deth Lab works to identify metabolic treatment approaches for neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders, ranging from autism to Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, her research focus is on the redox regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its relationship to dopamine signaling. With these experiences, Grace is keen on integrating her interests in neuroscience and public health to ultimately create better health outcomes. 
Grace’s enthusiasm for science extends beyond the lab. Through NSU, she leads at Science Alive, teaching elementary school students about the natural world during after school care. Dedicated to fostering community, Grace is a Senior Peer Leader for NSU’s First Year Experience (UNIV 1000), the Treasurer for Neuroscience Club, and member of Scuba Club. She advocates for better overall health through her volunteer work and by maintaining personal hobbies like hiking, biking, and playing water sports. With support from family and the U-RISE program, she anticipates pursuing an MD-PhD after graduation.