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Students Present at 12th Annual EC Student Research Conference

Elmira, NY (06/01/2022) — The Twelfth Annual Student Research Conference, held May 25 in Cowles Hall, showcased 11 research presentations from 14 students. Project topics included measuring grip strength in athletes, gender perception, anti-bullying initiatives, and DNA fingerprinting.

This annual event is sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs, and organized by faculty volunteers Dr. Amy Lyndaker, Dr. Kelly Kane, and Dr. Ping Zheng.

"All of the presentations were fantastic, and we are lucky to be able to showcase our students' hard work and many talents," said Lyndaker.

The event kicked off with a special presentation from lifelong learner and long-time Elmira College student, Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel. Hummel gave an inspiring talk about her role as a research participant in Alzheimer's studies as well as her roles on several national research advisory committees.

Huling Hummel advised students interested in research to follow their topics of interest in the news, read publications, follow researchers and research organizations, and connect and network often. She advised them to volunteer as research participants to gain first-hand experience. She also told them to build a portfolio by writing about and publishing their own research.

"Research has its challenges," Huling Hummel said. "Persevere! Your research might help find a cure for a now incurable disease. Your research might change thinking on a societal issue. Elmira College is a great place to launch your research career. Go for it!"

In addition to Huling Hummel's presentation, five students presented talks during the conference:

Emily Arrazola '23; Pursuing the American Dream: A Study of First Generation College Students
Hannah Baxter '23 and Laura Kane '92; Live Like Ronin
Jenna Cowder '22; Iranian American Perception and its Impact on Immigrants
Felicity Brockhuizen '22; Inheritance and Molecular Genetics of Mucopolysaccharidosis in Humans

The conference then moved to the Cowles Rotunda for a poster session, during which students presented a poster on their research and attendees had a chance to ask students questions. Topics included::

Alexis Wyckoff '23; The Culprit, D1-2, and the Whiskey Affairs
Salem Jordan '23; Gender Perception; Challenging Normalcy
Catherine Smugereski '22; Identifying Potential Functional Interactors of the Human 9-1-1 Complex through Yeast Two-Hybrid Screens of a Human cDNA Library
Devon Parente '24 and Paige Stilts '23; On the Cutting Edge: Precise and Accurate Editing of the LacZ Gene in Escherichia coli via CRISPR-Cas9
Ryan Hardy '23; The Search for Functional Partners of the Human Hus1 and Hus1b Proteins
Destiny Fitzgerald '25 and Kelly Millins '23; Grip Strength

A panel of faculty judges evaluated the quality, organization, content, and clarity of the student presentations. The 2022 prize for Best Research Talk was awarded to Felicity Brockhuizen '22. The 2022 award for Best Poster Presentation went to Ryan Hardy '23.

Media Attachments

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From left to right: Ryan Hardy ’23 won the Best Poster Presentation award, Felicity Brockhuizen ’22 won the Best Research Talk, and Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel was recognized for her special presentation during the conference.

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Catherine Smugereski ’22 talks with Dr. Adam Giambrone, Assistant Professor of Mathematics during the poster session portion of the EC Student Research Conference.

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Ryan Hardy ’23, the winner of the Best Poster Presentation award, talks with Dr. Trevor Browning, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science during EC Student Research Conference.