Bridgewater College’s Department of Biology has recognized seniors for their accomplishments in biology and environmental science.
Jeannette E. Searles, Sarah K. Wampler and William K. Woodward III received Excellence in Biology Awards. The award is presented to graduating seniors who place in the top 10 percent of the class as determined by grade point average (GPA) within the biology major.
Searles, a biology major with a pre-veterinarian track, is from Gaithersburg, Md. Searles is a member of the Philomathes Society, Bridgewater’s scholastic honor society; Alpha Chi, a national scholastic honor society; and Beta Beta Beta, a national biological honor society.
She served as a laboratory assistant and an academic coach. She completed a 2019 summer research internship studying stem cells with nonhuman primates at the National Institutes of Health.
Wampler, a psychology and biology double major, is the daughter of Drs. Benjamin and Sherrie Wampler of Nokesville, Va. Wampler is a member of the Philomathes Society, Alpha Chi, Beta Beta Beta and Psi Chi, an international psychology honor society. She is a member of the college’s Flory Honors Program.
Woodward, a biology major, is the son of William and Norma Woodward of Mauertown, Va.
Lindsey M. Hensley and Sabrina N. Volponi were presented Excellence in Environmental Science Awards given to the top graduating seniors as determined by GPA within the environmental science major.
Hensley, a biology and environmental science double major with a minor in business administration, is the daughter of Jeff and Laurie Hensley of Elkton, Va.
Hensley is a member of the Philomathes Society and Beta Beta Beta. She served as communication director of the Environmental Science Club.
She completed her third internship with the Bridgewater Church of the Brethren’s food pantry garden. The garden is a nonprofit organization that provides fresh produce to local food pantries. She plans to continue working in the garden following graduation.
Volponi, an environmental science and mathematics double major, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Volponi of Elmhurst, N.Y. She is a member of Alpha Chi and Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society. Following graduation on May 2, Volponi will pursue a Ph.D. in environmental engineering at the University of Notre Dame. She received a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation.
Volponi also received the Outstanding Research Award—Environmental Science, presented for the best undergraduate research in environmental science. She completed an honors research project, “The Use of Regression Trees in Answering Biological Questions,” with Dr. Timothy Kreps, associate professor of biology.
Melissa M. Lempicki and Sarah McIntyre received the Outstanding Research Award—Biology, presented for the best undergraduate research in biology.
Lempicki, a biology major, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rickard Lempicki of Gaithersburg, Md. Lempicki is a member of Beta Beta Beta.
Lempicki completed a summer research project, “Construction of a Gene Library for Streptomyces SP. SFB5A,” with Dr. Stephen Baron, the Harry G.M. Jopson Professor of Biology. The project was funded by the Dr. John Martin Summer Science Research Institute at Bridgewater College.
Following graduation on May 2, Lempicki will pursue a Ph.D. in immunology and microbiology at East Carolina University.
McIntyre, a biology major with a minor in psychology, is the daughter of Tom and Cheryl McIntyre of Nokesville, Va.
McIntyre is a member of the Philomathes Society, Alpha Chi, Beta Beta Beta and Psi Chi. She is a member of the Flory Honors Program, the Society of Developmental Biology and the American Society for Microbiology. She served as a tutor for molecular biology and organic chemistry.
She completed an honors research project, “A Longitudinal Study of Axolotl Growth,” with Dr. Moshe Khurgel, associate professor of biology.
Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to nearly 1,800 undergraduate students.
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