Congratulations to UB student Patrick Mohr, the University Libraries’ 2024 Journey of Discovery undergraduate research contest winner. This $500 award recognizes students who produce significant academic inquiry requiring the use of the University Libraries’ information resources and collections. A Biomedical Sciences major, Mohr’s winning essay highlights his ongoing endeavors in a research lab and how the University Libraries services and resources have guided him through various steps of the research process.
Mohr’s paper, titled “Exploration of the Secondary Messenger, Selenoprotein P (SEPP1), in a Rodent Model of Exercise; Theorizing Interaction with the Dopamine D2 Receptor (D2R) as a Target for Brain Reward Dysregulation, Addictive Behavior, and Aging,” investigates the relationship between SEPP1 and exercise intensity. SEPP1 is a key antioxidant important for selenium transport, and neuronal and immune health. Using exercise as a personalized therapy for general health as well as treatments for neurodegenerative disorders and addiction is explored in this paper.
As he began his journey of discovery on the topic of his paper, Mohr was flooded by a sea of articles and websites that he had to sift through. Using library databases such as PubMed and the Delivery+ service, he learned to customize his search for peer-reviewed articles and request those not held by UB Libraries. His next phase of the process was drafting a manuscript and Mohr found quiet spaces in the libraries and the availability of EndNote, a program that assists with formatting citations, ideal for completing this work. The judges for the Journey of Discovery undergraduate research contest were impressed by how Mohr discovered, appreciated and embraced the resources the libraries have to offer, and that considering his undergraduate status, his ability to synthesize library resources was exceptional.
“One of the greatest hurdles the UB Libraries helped me overcome was navigating the overwhelming amount of information surrounding my research topic. However, going through this process and utilizing the resources provided, I gradually developed a systematic approach to filter and scrounge through a vast array of articles. This approach is something I continue to use for my research and has allowed me to explore other facets of my research more efficiently,” said Mohr.