Burdock Group continues to encourage undergraduates to pursue a career in food ingredient safety and regulation by offering its Student Travel Award. During the SOT 57th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo held in San Antonio, Texas, in March, an exemplary candidate, Jalissa L. Nguyen, was honored with the Burdock Group SOT 2018 Student Travel Award. Jalissa was given $600 to cover travel expenses to attend SOT, along with a commemorative plaque and a copy of Casarett and Doull’s Toxicology textbook, in which Dr. Burdock co-authors the chapter on Food Toxicology. Congratulations to Jalissa on her achievements! Burdock Group looks forward to reviewing future student travel award applications for the upcoming IFT 2018 Student Travel Award.
Jalissa is currently a doctoral graduate student enrolled in the Molecular & Environmental Toxicology Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She investigates the role of environmental estrogens in lower urinary tract dysfunction. In this project, Jalissa uses in vitro and in vivo models to evaluate the effects of long-term exposure to environmental estrogens. In Jalissa’s role as a graduate research assistant, she develops problem-solving skills, training in conflict resolution and supervising junior colleagues in the laboratory.
Fun Fact Jalissa was selected as the 2017 International Life Science Institute (ILSI) North America Summer fellow. As a summer fellow with ILSI North America, she evaluated the applicability of read-across tools and high throughput screening data for food relevant chemicals in ToxCast. During this internship, Jalissa gained hands-on training in applied toxicology, risk assessment, as well as food and chemical safety.
Hobbies Jalissa’s hobbies include running, baking, and painting. Jalissa is a self-proclaimed foodie.