On August 4th, 2021, Schmid College of Science and Technology hosted the first annual Summer Research Showcase to celebrate the undergraduate students who participated in summer research programs such as SURF, SURFEES, and Schmid College Summer Interns. This was the biggest summer research cohort Schmid College has ever had. The student participants presented their research to over 100 faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members. 

The showcase began with our Keck Center Laboratories tours, where Schmid faculty and students showed guests where the research happens.

Summer Research Showcase

Research laboratories included:

Ranney Food Processing Laboratory
Dr. Anuradha Prakash
Exploring the effects of processing variables on food quality. 

Kim Environmental Geochemistry (KEG) Laboratory
Dr. Christopher Kim
Metal contamination in abandoned mines and metal adsorption/retention to iron nanoparticles. 

Structural Biology Laboratory
Dr. Cedric Owens
Determining the structure and function of proteins. 

Food Protection Laboratory
Dr. Rosalee Hellberg
Researching the detection of food fraud and foodborne pathogens using molecular methods. 

Cancer Research Laboratory
Dr. Marco Bisoffi and Dr. Melissa Rowland-Goldsmith
Researching studies in molecular tumorigenesis and experimental therapeutics. 

Comparative Biomaterials Laboratory
Dr. Douglas Fudge
Researching the biomechanics of marine animals with a focus on hagfishes. 

LaRue CatLab
Dr. Jerry LaRue
Studying molecular interactions during chemical encounters. 

Organic Catalysis Laboratory
Dr. Allegra Liberman-Martin
Researching the use of air-sensitive compounds as catalysts for synthesis of organic chemicals and plastics.

Following the Keck Laboratory Tours, a lunch was provided to all attendees while Dr. Christopher Kim gave his opening remarks and introduction to the event.

Next, the Student Flash Talks began as students gave a two-minute pitch of their research to the audience.

Summer Research Showcase

Student presentations included: 

Ayah Halabi

Jason Diaz

Gloria Martinez

Camille Duong-Zamora

Mario Rafaela

Payton Schwengel

Andrew Field

Gabriella Funes

Avinash Ramaswamy

Gildardo Limon

Chevon Jordan

Miranda Miranda

Emma Kocik

Kevin Nguyen

Laurel Dobrow

Morgan Grimes

 

Following the Student Flash Talks was the Poster Presentation Session, where students displayed their research for attendees to view throughout the rest of the showcase.

Summer Research Showcase

 Student posters included:

Abigail Kim

Amanda Tabb

Andrew Field

Aubrey Emmi

Avinash Ramaswamy

Aviv Zohman

Ayah Halabi

Bianca Newell

Brenna Gormally

Cami Acosta

Camille L. Duong Zamora

Chelsey Cortes

Chevon Jordan

Delilah L Schuerman

Edward Hernandez

Emma Kocik

Eva Stanton

Gabriela Nerhood

Gabriella Dauber

Gabriella Funes

Gildardo Limon

Gloria Martinez

Hannah Campbell

Ishaan Shah

Jason Diaz

Jillian Fahey

Jordan Skolnick

Joy Marina

Kate Lyon

Kelly Vu

Kevin Alvarado Jimenez

Kevin Nguyen

Leah Zahn

Liam Sullivan

Lucy Chalekian

Mario Rafaela

Matt Rangel

Matthew Garcia

Max Strul

Micah Char

Michael Bertagna

Natanael Alpay

Pablo Labbate

Payton Schwengel

Ricardo Espinoza Hernandez

Terrence Lee

Zachary Baker

 

With closing remarks from Dean Ibba, the first annual Schmid Summer Research Showcase was a success! Thank you to all who attended, and congratulations to our student presenters for their successful research efforts and dedication throughout the summer.

We also want to acknowledge the Office of Research and the Center of Undergraduate Excellence, as well as the Beckman Foundation, The John Stauffer Charitable Trust and the Simon STEM Scholars Program for their support. A special thanks to Dr. Christopher Kim, Dr. Justin O’Neill, and Mayra Mosqueda Alvarado for their planning efforts! This showcase would not have been possible without everyone’s involvement.