Keren Antoine
Keren Antoine is an Honors junior majoring in Biology. Her career goal is to practice pediatrics with a specialty in childhood developmental and behavioral disorders. She also desires to create nonprofit clinics in Haiti to help underrepresented children and to give back to the country that helped shape who she is today. During her spare time, Keren volunteers at Children Healthcare of Atlanta and assists with tasks ranging from patient care to customer service.
At GSU, Keren is on the e-board of the Honors Student Organization and Georgia First Generation Foundation. Keren believes that her involvement is instrumental in providing other students like herself with the tools necessary for success in an academic and professional settings.
In research, Keren is working with Dr. Al Baumstark synthesizing novel 4-bromo-1,3,5-triphenylpyrazole, 4-bromo-3-t-butyl-1,5-diphenylpyrazole and 4-bromo-3-t-butyl-5-phenylisoxazole compounds. The purpose of the research is to add a large bromine atom using N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS) to the C4 position of the planar pyrazole and isoxazole systems resulting in ring twists as shown by molecular modeling software. Structure and purity of the compounds are confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Application of 13C NMR is then utilized to study the distal transition of the C4 chemical shift as a result of substituents such as electron withdrawing and donating groups located on the 3 and 5 aryl rings in the twisted and planar systems. The exposure of her research afforded to Keren the opportunity to present at various conferences.
During the summer of 2017, Keren participated in Physician and Undergraduate Student Educational (PAUSE) Partnership Foundation, in which she received invaluable mentorship from physicians and administrators in a clinical and social setting. The introduction in the field of pediatrics, lifestyle medicine, dentistry, and neurology further reinforced her interest in giving back to the community through medical practice. Participating in the PAUSE program also opened her eyes to the multiple career opportunities one can obtain with a medical degree. This coming summer, she plans to expand her knowledge and partake in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.