Local Gonzales and Geismar LSMSA students place in LSU Research Conference
NATCHITOCHES -Seven students from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts competed against college students at the Undergraduate Research Conference held Friday, Nov. 6, at Louisiana State University.
A poster by Hannah Vincent, a senior from Youngsville, won second place and $175 in the Life Sciences, Level 1, competition. Her poster was “The Interplay between Sediment Bioturbators and Oil in Coastal Ecosystems.”
Emily Schultz, a senior from Gonzales, won second place and $175 in the Engineering and Technology, Level 1, competition. Her poster was “Randomized Local Sharing at the End-User Level.”
Other LSMSA presenters and their posters were:
Chris Carter, a senior from Geismar, presented “Analysis of Epstein-Barr Virus-Regulated Gene Expression Changes in Relation to LMP1-Mediated NF-kB Activation” in the Life Sciences, Level 1, category.
Garren Mitchell, a senior from New Orleans, presented “Chronic Binge Alcohol Administration Dysregulates Skeletal Muscle microRNAs in SIV-infected Macaques,” in the Life Sciences, Level I, category.
Jamin Kidd, a senior from Zachary, presented “Proximity-induced ferromagnetism on a topological insulator surface: Bi2Se3/EuS heterostructures,” in the Math and Physical Sciences, Level 1, category.
Jack Dalton, a senior from Lafayette, presented “Synthesis of 2-oxoethyl-3, 3-dimethylindole from N-(2-iodophenyl)-hydroxylamine,” in the Math and Physical Sciences, Level 1, category.
Isha Sharma, a senior from Lake Charles, presented “A survey and comparison of trace metal concentrations in various food samples using the EPA 3052 Method,” in the Math and Physical Sciences, Level 2, category.
The LSU Undergraduate Research Conference is organized annually by the LSU Office of Strategic Initiatives. It is designed and managed by OSI as a regional single-day conference for undergraduate researchers in STEM and humanities and social sciences disciplines.
Students participate in three components of the conference – excite, explore and experiment. The excite component is a keynote address from renowned faculty who have been instrumental in developing undergraduate research programs; the explore component is an activity which addresses a current topic or provides a networking opportunity; and the experiment component is student research presentations in a poster or oral competition.
The keynote speaker for the conference was Dr. Squire Booker, HHMI investigator and professor of chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State.