Each year, a cohort of predoctoral dental students may participate in a competitive research mentorship program called Summer Scholars, beginning with a 10-week onsite research experience. Over the summer of their D2 year, students in the program collaborate with faculty mentors who are actively engaged in dental research. Together with their mentors, the scholars work in the School of Dentistry’s state-of-the-art laboratories and clinics, with hands-on duties encompassing a wide range of research tasks, such as conducting literature searches, preparing specimens, gathering data and analyzing results. At the end of the summer, each scholar produces a research paper and submits a research abstract for the next national meeting of the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) where they will present their research results in poster presentations.
On July 31, the Summer Scholars also participated in a closed poster competition to determine 海角论坛’s representative for the 2026 Student Competition for Advancing Dental Research and its Application (SCADA), which will be held at the AADOCR meeting in San Diego in March of 2026. Drs. JoAnna Scott, Melanie Simmer-Beck, Rose Wang, and Megan Wendland served on the panel of judges.
Kendall Miller was selected as the winner of the poster competition and will represent 海角论坛 at the national competition next March. His poster title was ‘Dynamic Mechanisms of Assembly of Bone Extracellular Matrix,’ and his project mentors were Dr. Sarah Dallas and Dr. David Moore. While Kendall is the only 海角论坛 Summer Scholar participating in the 2026 SCADA poster competition, all the scholars will travel to San Diego for AADOCR and will present their posters as part of the 2026 general session.
In addition to selecting our 海角论坛 representative for the national SCADA competition, SOD also recognizes the runner up of the poster competition with a Student Research Day travel award, supported through AADOCR. This year, Drew Cuba received this recognition for his poster titled ‘Early Life Stress Results in Bone-Specific and Sex-Specific Changes.’ His project mentors were Dr. Erin Ealba Bumann and Ms. Portia Hahn Leat.
Congratulations to this year’s awardees and to all the scholars for their accomplishments this summer!
Pictured above (left to right): Prof. Emma Kaz Frick (Program Coordinator), Sharmarke Khadar, Mary Gipson, Kendall Miller, Drew Cuba, Dr. Mary Walker (Program Director)
Upon successful completion of the program following the Spring meeting, students earn one credit hour of mentored study. See below for a complete list of the 2025-26 scholars, mentors, and projects.
Project: Early Life Stress Results in Bone-Specific and Sex-Specific Changes
Scholar: Drew Cuba, DDS Class of 2028
Mentors: Dr. Erin Bumann, Portia Hahn Leat
Project: Novel Dopamine-Derived Biomimetic Crosslinkers on Caries-Affected Dentin Bonding
Scholar: Mary Gipson, DDS Class of 2028
Mentors: Dr. Viviane Hass, Dr. Yong Wang
Project: Dental Emergency Department Visit Characteristics by Region and Metropolitan Status
Scholar: Sharmarke Khadar, DDS Class of 2028
Mentor: Emma Kaz Frick, Dr. Mary P. Walker
Project: Dynamic Mechanisms of Assembly of Bone Extracellular Matrix
Scholar: Kendall Miller, DDS Class of 2028
Mentors: Dr. Sarah Dallas, Dr. David Moore
Photos from the event .