Chicago, June 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two of North Park University’s recent graduates won presentation awards at the 2026 Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta) North Central-1 (NC-1) District Research Conference. Joshua Brito BS ’26—who majored in biomedical sciences—received first place, and Andrew G. Daoud BS ’26—who majored in molecular biology and biotechnology —earned third place. Saint Xavier University hosted the conference on its campus on March 28.
All presenters at TriBeta district research conferences are students with research grants, making the events highly competitive. As a result of winning the competition, TriBeta invited Brito to present his work at the TriBeta 2026 National Convention, held from May 27–31 at Florida State University. His oral presentation, “The Role of CCL21 in Tumor Surveillance,” was one of only 10 in the biomedical sciences category.
In addition to achieving third place at the district conference, Daoud contributed to Brito’s research. Relatedly, he received scholarships from the Taiwan Education Exchange Program and the Friends of Taiwan Foundation this year for a 10-week research experience in Taiwan over the summer, during which he is conducting cancer immuno-epigenomics research at National Chung Cheng University under the supervision of Dr. Michael Chan.
Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Tracy O’Connor and Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Paul Janus advised Brito and Dauod while they attended North Park.
“Josh and Andrew were a joy to have in the lab these past two years,” O’Connor shared. “They approached their projects with the work ethic of graduate-level researchers, working over the summer before undertaking directed research for credit to gain the necessary skills to complete their projects. This allowed them to gain meaningful insights into the molecular mechanisms by which immune cells are trafficked into and out of the brain and how the brain protects itself from cancer. We plan to publish these results in a field-specific scientific journal next year.”
TriBeta is an honor society for students, particularly undergraduates, dedicated to improving understanding and appreciation of biological study and extending the boundaries of human knowledge through scientific research. Each year, TriBeta hosts 12 district and regional conventions where members have the opportunity to present their research and network with like-minded students from other institutions. National conventions are held biennially.
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Kennedy Murphy North Park University (773) 244-5772 kmurphy@northpark.edu