The University of Mary Washington hosted its 24th annual Summer Science Institute.
The 10-week event brought students and faculty together to work on research in biology, chemistry, computer science, Earth and environmental sciences, physics and math. The goal was to find solutions to real-world concerns such pesticides.
The results will be showcased in a public symposium of posters and oral presentations on Wednesday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Hurley Convention Center’s Digital Auditorium. A scholarship contributed by 1961 Mary Washington alumna Dr. Jerri Perkins ’61, will be awarded to the best oral and poster presenters.
Harrison Miles, who earned a degree from UMW in 2015 in psychology and elementary education, returned to study conservation biology.
“I knew I wouldn’t be able to get this kind of experience anywhere other than Mary Washington,” Miles said.
Miles spent the summer working in UMW’s Jepson Science Center with beauveria bassiana harvested from spotted lantern flies shipped in from Pennsylvania. Alongside Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Josephine Antwi, he injected the fungus into soybeans and measured toxin production as the plants grew. The research could help create more effective organic pesticides.
UMW students Jessica Oberlies and Jacob Cantor went on a “trip of a lifetime” with Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pamela Grothe when they traveled to Kiritimati Island to collect samples of ancient corals for research on climate change, El Nino patterns and coral reef health.
“The Summer Science Institute provides UMW students equivalent research opportunities usually only found at large research-based universities, Grothe said. “It makes them more competitive when applying for graduate schools.”
Undergraduate research in STEM fields at UMW is expected to grow with the $30 million gift from alumna Irene Piscopo Rodgers.
The summer program was funded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division.
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Rebecca Barnabi
