Sonia Adamidis(l) pictured with Dr. Amy Brown Savitz and Afua Boateng(r)

Sonia Adamidis, a senior biology major, was awarded the Sigma Zeta Research Award for her project titled “Amphipathic Dimers: a New Class of Antibiotics” by the National Officers of Sigma Zeta.

Sigma Zeta is a national undergraduate honor society that encourages and fosters scholarly activity and recognizes academic scholarship in the natural and computer sciences and mathematics. The Sigma Zeta Research Awards were initiated by the 2011 National Convention to help support quality research by Sigma Zeta members.

The award was a pleasant surprise for Adamidis, who conducted the research under the guidance of Neumann University chemistry professor Dr. Amy Brown Savitz.

“I was really excited. It’s a field I want to enter into and to be recognized was just wonderful. Since tenth grade I always said I wanted to do research, and it was a great opportunity to get hands-on experience. I really want to get into the pharmaceutical industry,” she said.

According to Adamidis, the premise of her research was to use biometrics and basically mimic the body’s natural system to find a new antibiotic.

There were three phases to her research. Phase I constructed the first part of the dimer. Adamidis is making a hydrophobic which is a molecule that doesn’t want anything to do with water. Phase II enlarged it and the Phase III put all of the components together.

Adamidis worked closely with fellow student researcher Afua Boateng, who is also a biology major. Boateng was making a hydrophilic.

“This award came at a great time. I was feeling a little disappointed with our research. It didn’t want to work and I had to keep changing conditions,” she explained.

Adamidis and Boateng have been asked to present their research at a Sigma Zeta conference in April.

Adamidis was inducted into Neumann University’s Sigma Zeta Honor Society during her junior year and is currently president of the honor society.