Rosemont Students Win Top Research Awards at Conference
Students from two of Rosemont’s science disciplines – Biology and Environmental Science – brought home the first place awards from the 21st Annual University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences on October 20th, 2018.
Jamira Bowens ‘18, presented The Stream Team’s research, “Water Quality Analysis and
Macroinvertebrate Composition of Aquatic Ecosystems on Rosemont College Campus.” This
work
examines the effect of storm water run-off on the campus stream and ponds. It won
first place in the Biological Sciences Division. Bowens and The Stream Team are under
the tutelage of Jeannette Dumas, Assistant Professor of Biology and Coordinator of
the Environmental Science Track and Environmental Studies Major.
“My overall experience was amazing,” said Jamira Bowens. “I was also excited to be able to bring the win home for my team and also the College.”
Christopher Cortes ‘18 and Mary Grace Murray ’20, attended the conference and presented their yeast genetics project, “Examination of UV Sensitivity in Haploid Yeast Cells and Spores of S. Cerevisiae,” which won first place in the Molecular Biology Division under the direction of Aikaterini Skokotas, Associate Professor and Chair of the Biology Department. This project is conducted in collaboration with Edward Winter, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, at Jefferson University.
“Before doing research with Dr. Skokotas, I never anticipated that I would enjoy research to the extent that I have and do,”
said Mary-Grace Murray. “The symposium was a day where we were surrounded by inquiry
and encouragement to push further.”
This is the third year in a row students from Dr. Skokotas’ research team have won the top prize in the biology division.
“Winning the award was surreal, mainly because we were in the presence of many great schools that were much larger than Rosemont,” said Christopher Cortes. “Being surrounded by so many individuals who poured so much work into their research like us really left a lasting impression.”