The following projects from the Fall 2024 semester will be presented at the symposium this year. Projects designated “C” are Course-directed research projects. Projects designated “I” are Independent research projects. Abstracts for the projects can be found at the links provided above.

Poster #	Authors	Advisor and Dept.	Project Title	Type
1	Laura Morris	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	Tree canopy diversity and its effects on the diversity of ground level herbaceous plants	C
2	Max W. De La Cruz Morrobel	Dr. April Wynn, Biology	Expression of Plasmodesmal Regulatory Genes in Response to Brassinosteroids	I
3	Michael Combs, Madi Beale, Max De La Cruz Morrobel, Dani Mitchell, Noah Oltman	Dr. Swati Agrawal, Biology	Determining Unknown Gene Functions of Mycobacteria Phage Mercurio	C
4	Michael Combs, Sofia Jalagonia, Jacob Christenbury	Dr. Lynn Lewis, Biology	Exploring Phage Cocktail Therapies form the Treatment of Bacillus Pathogens	C
5	Stephanie Bailey	Dr. Theresa Grana, Biology	From Worms to Wonders: Improving Phenotype Recognition in C. elegans for Genetics Students	I
6	Stephanie Bailey, Alegria Bautista, Wagma Zaki	Dr. Ginny Morriss, Biology	How RNAi-mediated knockdown of PI3K92E affects apoptosis and autophagy in Drosophila melanogaster skeletal muscles	C
7	Alegria Bautista	Dr. Theresa Grana, Biology	PRIMER DESIGN FOR DIVERSE NEMATODES	I
8	Nathaniel Harvey	Prof. Rebecca Callaway, Chemistry and Physics	13 Tone Generator (aka the Beep Boop Machine)	I
9	Joey Gasink	Dr. Tyler Frankel, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Assessment of the effects of cadmium exposure in the presence of elevated temperatures on embryonic development in the Seminole ramshorn snail (Planorbella duryi)	I
10	Joe Haun	Prof. Rebecca Callaway, Music	3D modeling and production of Bagpipes	I
11	Annalise Zurasky, Grace Williams	Dr. Lynn Lewis, Biology	The Antiviral Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on NDV	C
12	Annalise Zurasky	Dr. Andrew Dolby, Biology	Crow’s Nest White-Tailed Deer Population Survey	I
13	Aidan Shell	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	An Analysis of Stream Fish Assemblages in Hazel Run Stream	I
14	Grayson Camp	Dr. Leanna Giancarlo, Chemistry and Physics	Quantifying Adsorbate-Adsorbate and Adsorbate-Substrate Interactions Using the ABC Isotherm	I
15	David Nichols	Dr. Ben Kisila, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Northern Virginia Waterways in Relation to Urbanization	I
16	Loren Nicol Delgadillo Llano	Dr. Laura Sipe, Biology	Evaluating the Impact of S-Adenosylmethionine Treatment and Methionine Deprivation on Cancer Cell Proliferation	I
17	Holly Anthony	Prof. John Tippett, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Biodegredation of PHA and PLA Plastics on Aquatic Systems	I
18	Erin Reynolds, Eliza Franklin, Megan Kim	Dr. Lynn Lewis, Biology	Investigating the Antiviral Effects of Over the Counter Vitamin D on Newcastle Disease Virus in BHK-21 Cells	C
19	Maura Munson, Kiersten Ziegler, Megan Kim, Paris Jones, Tyler Downs, Eleni Kepler	Dr. Swati Agrawal, Biology	Phenotypic Characterization of Proteins in Mycobacteriophage Mercurio	C
20	Eleni Kepler	Dr. Ginny Morriss, Biology	The Effects of Myoglianin Knockdown in Drosophila melanogaster with Myotonic Dystrophy Type One	I
21	Caitlin Harris	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	Proximity of Ailanthus altissima‘s effects on plant biodiversity	C
22	Caitlin Harris	Dr. Swati Agrawal, Biology	Enhancing Biomolecular visual literacy through Virtual Reality: Understanding Protein Structures with Nanome	I
23	Delaney Humphrey, Carleigh Wood	Dr. Ginny Morriss, Biology	Iditarod’s effect on DM1 disease progression in a Drosophila melanogaster model	I
24	Edmund Eric Gable	Dr. Tyler Frankel, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Assessment of Trace Metals and Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals in Sediment, Water, and Fish Tissues Collected from Mattawoman Creek (Charles County, MD)	I
25	Edmund Eric Gable	Dr. Tyler Frankel, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Assessment of Trace Metals and Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals in Sediment, Water, and Fish Tissues Collected from Mattawoman Creek (Charles County, MD)	I
26	Alexis Miller, Christopher Anderson	Dr. Parrish Waters, Biology	Influences of the GLP-1 in the Positive Cognitive Effects of Environmental Enrichment	I
27	Juliana Ramirez	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	Effects of habitat fragmentation on invasive species and native biodiversity	C
28	Elizabeth Breckenridge, Ashleigh Foosness	Dr. Lynn Lewis, Biology	The Effect of Isoniazid and Phage D29 on Mycobacterium smegmatis: A Study into Tuberculosis Antibiotic Resistance	C
29	Lucca Muta, Emily Wills	Dr. Theresa Grana, Biology	SEA-GENES	I
30	Caroline Sampson	Dr. Randall Reif, Chemistry and Physics	Analysis of PPI Toxicity on Jurkat T Lympocytes using Calcien-AM	I
31	Katie Burbridge	Dr. Ben Kisila, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Spatio-Temporal and bioaccumulation analysis of trace metal concentrations within sediment and dagger blade grass shrimp in Chincoteague Bay, USA	I
32	Summer Orledge	Dr. Tyler Frankel, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Assessing Trace Metal Bioaccumulation in Several Fish Species Near A Coal Ash Landfill (Dumfries, VA)	I
33	Nicholas Kennedy, Caleigh Eberhart, Nicole Fortner	Dr. Ginny Morriss, Biology	Generating an RNAi knockdown phenotype for Ser-2 and Ser-7 in Caenorhabditis elegans	C
34	Laila Acquavella	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	University of Mary Washington Campus Tree Review	I
35	Laila Acquavella	Dr. April Wynn, Biology	Techniques Used to GEOlocate Herbarium Specimens	I
36	Katerina Zakel	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	Riparian zones effect on plant species diversity	C
37	Marion Robinson	Dr. Lynn Lewis, Biology	Using Apricot Seed Powder to Treat EMCV in BHK-21 Cells	I
38	Rodas Asfaw	Dr. Sarah Smith, Chemistry and Physics	Removal of Methylene Blue from Water	I
39	Stephen Zdgiebloski	Dr. Swati Agrawal, Biology	Expression, Characterization, and Comparative Analysis of Bacteriophage Endolysins	I
40	Kristy A. Bagley, Meah Katz, Mikyas Telahun	Dr. Deborah O’Dell, Biology	INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF CHRONIC NOREPINEPHRINE EXPOSURE ON MICROGLIAL ALPHA AND BETA RECEPTORS AND ITS ROLE IN IL-1β PRODUCTION RELATED TO ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE PATHOGENESIS	I
41	Bonnie Butler, Madison Bauserman, Jessie Bronski	Dr. Ginny Morriss, Biology	The effects of PDGFRβ activation on vasculature in HUVEC cells transfected with myotonic dystrophy type 1 repeats	I
42	Gabriela Valle, Caroline Turner	Dr. Parrish Waters, Biology	A novel social stress choice model to explore the neurobiology of stress	I
43	Emma Najdzionek	Dr. Sarah Smith, Chemistry and Physics	Quantification of Spice in Beer using High Performance Liquid Chromatography	I
44	Kate Green	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	The impact of habitat disturbance on bryophyte diversity	C
45	Jillian Rosenquist	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	UMW Campus Blue Lights – Maps for Public Safety	I
46	Jasmine Ward	Dr. Lynn Lewis, Biology	Effects of Environmental Factors on NDV in BHK-21 Cells	C
47	Briza Valdes-Llamas	Dr. Laura Sipe, Biology	Synergistic Effects of Methionine Restriction and Chemotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells	I
48	Amanda Barahona, Abigail Powers, Jessica Kamel	Dr. Swati Agrawal	Exploring the Role of a Putative ER Protein in Membrane Contact Site Formation in Toxoplasmosis gondii	I
49	Jocelynne Hagan	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	Consideration of swamp roses as a keystone species impacted by invasive species in the northern neck area of Virginia	C
50	Marina Klein, Emily Hart	Dr. Sarah Smith, Chemistry and Physics; Dr. Tyler Frankel, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Method Development to Quantify Explosives in Marine Sediments Near Dahlgren Naval Base	I
51	Kate Stoneman	Prof. John Tippett, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Projecting The Loss of Shark Tooth Island from Sea Level Rise and Land Subsidence	I
52	Daniel Paluh	Prof. Rebecca Callaway, Music	Electric Guitar Design	I
53	Erin Hassall, Samantha Harms, Andrew Eigenfeld	Dr. Lynn Lewis, Biology	Comparing the Virulence of Three Subcluster C1 B. thuringiensis Phages	C
54	Audrey Turner, Lily Hoffman, Natalie Anderson	Dr. Melanie Szulczewski, Earth and Environmental Sciences	Pilot Environmental Justice Project: Correlating Soil Metals Concentrations and Soil Health with Socioeconomic Factors in a Fredericksburg, Virginia, Soil Survey	I
55	Yaire Montesinos	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	Urbanization and Its Effects on Plant Biodiversity: A Comparative Study of Virginia College	C
56	Sarah Binette, Beliyu Habtemariam, Taylor Hudson	Dr. Ginny Morriss, Biology	Investigating the Role of Class III PI3K59F in Muscle Growth using CRISPR-Mediated Gene Over-Expression in Drosophila melanogaster	C
57	Sophia Pedroza, Ainsley Lord	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Effect of resource competition on the length of stream fishes	C
58	Abigail Fielder	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Impact of Central Stonerollers on other minnow species in Hazel Run	C
59	Caitlin Harris	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	The effects of time of day and bait presence on wildlife activity patterns	C
60	Lillie Burbulis, Ben Schwartz	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Impact of urban vs. rural light pollution on nocturnal activity and species diversity	C
61	Seth Butler	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Field vs. forest comparison of ant species richness	C
62	Nell Somerville	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Impact of weather on ant abundance and taxa	C
63	Evan Kupsky	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Relationship between streambed substrate and fish species diversity	C
64	Rosie Stewart	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Impact of soil condition on invertebrate abundance & diversity	C
65	Emma Almassy	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Effects of urban vs. rural environments on foraging patterns of White-tailed deer	C
66	Carly Radgowski, Connor Kimener	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	The effect of water depth on Central Stoneroller abundance.	C
67	Madisyn Corron	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Impact of human activity on carnivore populations	C
68	Alexander Daniels	Dr. Brad Lamphere, Biology	Difference in predator abundance in rural and urban areas	C
69	Magali Rodriguez	Dr. Alan Griffith, Biology	Self-seeding herbaceous species and their impacts on the biodiversity of native species	C
70	Ashlyn Rauch	Dr. Ginny Morriss, Biology	Effect of Genetic Modulation of Activin β Expression Levels on Skeletal Muscle Function and Structure	I
71	Morgan Hicok	Dr. Abbie Tomba, Biology	Comparing Parasitism and Resistance to Flow in Two Populations of Elimia	I
72	Boone Fleenor	Dr. Matthew Fleenor, Chemistry and Physics	Drone-induced Water Circulation	I