Late Spring 2026 Travel Award Recipients

Bell Travel Award

Alec Bevis  and Anam Shaikh (both Orozco Lab) each received a Bell Travel award to attend the 2026 Immunology Conference held in Boston, MA, on April 15-19, 2026, which is the annual national meeting of The American Association of Immunologists (AAI).   

Alec Bevis  presented a poster titled “The Autoimmunity-Associated Minor Allele of PTPN22 Accelerates NK Cell Development and Augments Effector Function.”   Bevis said "During the conference, I was able to attend multiple talks from leaders in the field across the broad spectrum of immunology research, network and connect with fellow graduate students, and attend professional development workshops, including a deep dive into how to interview for a job.  I was also able to present some of my recent work during a poster session.  Through discussions at my poster, I met a few graduate students who were able to provide great feedback on my work, as well as send some protocols to help troubleshoot the next experiments I want to perform.  Overall, I had an awesome time in Boston at Immunology 2026, and I want to thank the Molecular Biosciences Department for their support in helping fund my travel to this conference."

Anam Shaikh presented a poster titled “PEP-R619W Differentially Modulates IFN-I Signaling to Enhance Antiviral Immunity."  She said  “The MB Travel Award helped me present my work to other Immunologists.  Through this award, I was able to build meaningful connections that will support my professional growth and help me further excel in my career after graduation.  It also gave me the opportunity to showcase my research at KU, receive valuable feedback, and gain thoughtful suggestions from experts working in related areas.  Overall, this award strengthened my confidence in my work and encouraged me to continue growing as a researcher.”