�㽶����ֱ�� was one of Northeast Ohio’s representatives at the second annual Innovation Day held at Youngstown State University on Oct. 11.

The event was a collaboration between the institutional members of the Northeast Ohio Public University Research Alliance (NEO-PURA) and, along with �㽶����ֱ��, included the University of Akron, Kent State University, Northeast Ohio Medical University and host Youngstown State University.

“This event is a venue for innovators, university faculties and students to discuss and showcase the region’s key innovations, technology transfer strategies and thought leadership,” said Severine Van slambrouck, director of research services at Youngstown State. “It provides a forum to accelerate alignment and collaboration among the institutions and with the regional innovation ecosystem.”

An interactive poster session served as the headliner of the event, providing an excellent forum for students to present their work in an interactive setting and with feedback from others. The session aimed to stimulate student participation and provide Innovation Day participants with the ability to connect with one another.

“Undergraduate and graduate students were invited to submit abstracts on their proposed poster, which should showcase research innovation and/or commercialization potential,” said �㽶����ֱ�� Director of Research Development and Ethics Ben Ward of the event. “Each poster was then evaluated by a panel of three or four judges from academia and industry based on the statement of the problem, the proposed solution, understanding of the innovation and the student’s ability to communicate the poster content with the judges.”

Morgan Pychowycz (BS ’24) is an undergraduate chemistry student at �㽶����ֱ�� majoring in pharmaceutical science. She participated in the poster session with a team consisting of her professor, Dr. Xue-Long Sun, and mentor, Majdi Aljohani, a Ph.D. student in the chemistry department. Her poster was called Profiling Sialidase Expression in Macrophages upon LPS Stimulation.

“We quantified endogenous sialidase expression of Neu1 and Neu3 in macrophages upon Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation,” she said. “We also found that treating the macrophages with DANA (a classic sialidase inhibitor synthesized by our lab) could reduce proinflammatory cytokine release, indicating that sialidase inhibitor has the potential to serve as an anti-inflammation drug.”

Pychowycz added that the event was not only a great way to meet new individuals within the field and make connections for the future, but also learn best practices when it comes to presenting research from a business perspective. 

“Learning new innovative research from the other participants was another great takeaway from the event,” she said. 

“Presenting their work helps students develop their presentation skills,” Van slambrouck added. “The event was also an opportunity to connect and network with peers and faculty from other institutions, and industry, that could lead to future collaborations or mentorship.”