Shengyi Iris Sun, a second-year Cornell graduate student in the field of biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, was awarded a three-year term fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).

The grant provides an annual $30,000 stipend along with an annual allowance. It will support work on Sun's study, "Extracellular ATP regulated lipolysis in adipocytes through P2X(7)," which focuses on obesity and how cells store fat in the body, looking into the role of extracellular ATP in the regulation of this process.

Sun, a recent graduate of the University of Hong Kong, began her dissertation research in the lab of Ling Qi, assistant professor of nutritional sciences. She was one of 10 nominated for the fellowship by Cornell and among the 48 recipients of 385 applicants nationwide.

"Given the intense competition for this fellowship, being awarded greatly encourages me to further my scientific research," Sun said, acknowledging the invaluable support she received from Qi and committee members David Russell, professor of microbiology and immunology, Bill Brown, professor of molecular biology and genetics, and Margaret Bynoe, associate professor of microbiology and immunology.

The HHMI began this international program because it recognized the difficulty for international students in U.S. graduate schools to receive funding for their studies. The grant is designed to facilitate the research training of international predoctoral students engaged in their doctoral dissertation research in the biomedical or related sciences and awarded to students with the potential to be leaders in their fields.

Stephanie Salato is a writer in the Division of Nutritional Sciences.