Piedmont University Natural Science Students Share Research at Conferences
Natural Science students have been presenting their research at conferences all over the southeastern region.
Rhylee Wittrock and Imani Vincent shared their research at Confluence 2023, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream’s Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Conference.
Wittrock presented research on Assessment of Infrastructure Through Dye Tracing, and Vincent’s research was about Factors that Influence Groundwater in a Wetland Environment.
Piedmont University’s Natural Science Department received the Adopt-A-Stream (AAS) Excellence in Education Award at Confluence. The university was recognized for incorporating AAS field monitoring events to enhance its students’ educational experiences across numerous courses.
Biology Professor Dr. Julia Schmitz, who is an AAS trainer, certified 15 students in AAS bacterial monitoring this past year. In addition, Piedmont’s AAS monitors have produced their own training videos for use by novice volunteer water samplers.
Confluence was held at Unicoi State Park and Lodge in Helen March 17-19.
Noah Irwin and Cooper Kework attended the 84th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, March 23-26. Irwin’s research was on the Relationship Between Size and Foraging in Dusky Salamanders. Kework’s research was on the Effect of Snail Host on Infections Intensity by the Trematode Metagonimoides oregonensis in the Southern Black-Bellied Salamader.
Several Piedmont students presented their research at the 100th Annual meeting of the Georgia Academy of Science Conference held March 3-4 at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. Students and their research included:
• Jenna Ash — Effect of Stream Size on Density of a Headwater Species Of Aquatic Snail
• Shay Bataille — Susceptibility to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Treatment Options for African American Women in Georgia
• Victor Canas — Temperature Preferences in Larvae of Two Species of Two-Lined Salamander)
• Jojo Croffie — Spatial and Temporal Patterns of E. Coli Distribution in the Piedmont University Wetlands
• Chandler Lowe — Optimization of a Bromovanillin Reaction
• Emily Rankin — Comparison of Household Disinfectant Sprays using the Kirby Bauer Disk Diffusion Assay