Chemistry star shines

Receiving a biomedical grant from the state of Florida is not easy. Ciceron Yanez has pulled it off, though, showing how brilliant he is while making the College of Sciences proud.

“It is a major award for him,” said Dr. Kevin Belfield, chair and professor of chemistry. “It is a big accomplishment for the university and for the college, too.”

Of the 146 proposals the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program for tobacco related projects received only 42 were selected for funding. Only one of those 42 came from UCF. The COS has never won this award before, according to Belfield.

“It really does recognize my group’s efforts in nanomedicine,” Belfield said.

The grant Yanez received is a three-year, $159,750, postdoctoral research fellowship to conduct research in Belfield’s lab.

“It will allow him to take on a long term project and develop a cancer therapy,” Belfield said.

Yanez’s work has the potential to create a cancer therapy that doesn’t have harsh side effects like chemotherapy, according to Belfield.

Yanez’s success highlights his own hard work in addition to the competiveness of the UCF chemistry department, which he represented while competing with several schools for the grant including University of Miami, University of Florida and Burnham.