Kinesiology major Sean Bannon Named Rising Researcher
The Rising Researcher program celebrates students who excel in research, scholarship or creative activity.
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Kinesiology major Sean Bannon ’24 has been named a spring 2023 UMass Amherst Rising Researcher. The Rising Researcher program recognizes undergraduate students who excel in research, challenge their intellect, and exercise exceptional creativity.
Bannon works in the Oxygen and Muscle Metabolism (O2M) Laboratory run by Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Gwanael Layec, where he conducts research on the effects of cigarette smoke on mitochondrial function. Specifically, they specialize in understanding the mechanisms governing peripheral oxygen exchange in muscle bioenergetics in healthy and clinical populations to explore new therapeutic strategies.
"Cigarette smoke exposure is estimated to cause more than 480,000 deaths annually in the United States and is a primary contributor to several cancers, respiratory, cardiovascular, and chronic metabolic diseases," says Bannon. "Many people think cigarette smoking only affects the lungs, but it’s evident that smoking can be detrimental to the entire body. With vaping and cannabis smoking growing in popularity, exposure to smoke is currently, and will continue to be, a significant public health concern. Thus, understanding the biological mechanisms underlying the pathogenic effects of cigarette smoke on health is therefore extremely important to developing new treatments."
Bannon extols the "unwavering support" not only of Layec, but also the mentorship he's received from PhD student Stephen Decker and master’s student Enes Erol.
"They have really taken me under their wings and treated me as an equal, which has allowed me to get graduate-level research experience as an undergraduate," says Bannon. "They have very high expectations of me, which pushes me to grow as a researcher. Beyond teaching me techniques in the lab, they always have time to meet with me, discuss the research, and offer guidance on my plans for the future. I would not be where I am today without them."