Honors for student research at NCAS annual meeting

Seven students from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Lenoir-Rhyne University presented their undergraduate honors research at the 2023 annual meeting of the North Carolina Academy of Sciences (NCAS) on April 14 and 15 at East Carolina University. Three additional students were elected as officers to the Collegiate Academy of the North Carolina Academy of Sciences.

Four presentations won Derieux Awards, which recognize excellence in undergraduate research and are named for former NCAS president and North Carolina State University physics professor John Bewley Derieux. Heather McDowell ’23 won first place and Ashley Sierzenga ’23 won third place for their oral presentations in the Molecular Cell Biology category. Chase White ’23 took second place for oral presentation in Chemistry, and Caleb Fluno ’23 took second place for oral presentation in Ecology, Zoology and Botany. Last spring, Fluno, McDowell and White were awarded Yarbrough Research Grants from NCAS to support the research behind these presentations.

The Collegiate Academy of the North Carolina Academy of Science (CANCAS) serves a similar function as NCAS, providing networking and collaboration opportunities for undergraduates in the sciences statewide. Reagan Womack ’24 was elected CANCAS president for the 2023-24 academic year, Diego Sanjuan ’24 will join the CANCAS officers as vice president, and Erica Schulz ’24 will serve as secretary.

The presenters and new officers were joined by nine LR faculty members, two of whom serve on the NCAS board and seven who served as judges for presentations and posters by students from around the state. In addition, Salma Ramirez ’24, Lynn Van Staalduinen ’24 and Bethany Perry ’24 attended as observers preparing for their own presentations next year.

With decades of membership in NCAS, Lenoir-Rhyne faculty and students have been active participants in the annual conference for more than 50 years. Since 2000, more than 100 LR natural science students have launched their scientific careers by presenting their honors research and winning awards at the event before moving on to graduate-level and post-doctoral research positions, medical, dental or veterinary practice, and other related career paths.

Student presentations and their titles are listed below.

• Tanner Chase White ’23, biology major: Methotrexate’s Dual Effects on Lumbriculus variegatus Metabolism: Adenosine Mediated Pulse Rate Alterations and Regulation of Regeneration.
• Ashley Sierzenga ’23, pre-medical science major: Prevalence of Cyanogenic Glycosides in White Clover (Trifolium repens) in Urban and Rural Locations.
• Caleb Fluno ’23, biology major: The Effects of Cobalt Chloride and Zinc Chloride on the C-Start Reaction of Zebrafish (Danio rerio).
• Heather McDowell ’23, biochemistry major: In Vitro Inhibition of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Oocyte Maturation by Exposure of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Atrazine, Malathion, Perfluoroheptanoic Acid
• Nathaniel McCormick ’23, biology major: Influence of Caffeine on Growth, Morphology and Antibiotic Sensitivity in Escherichia coli
• Demmi Ramos ’25, mathematics major: Coordinates and Geometry in the Card Game EvenQuads
• Casey Lovett ’22, biology major: Mechanisms of Microbial Dispersal by Wingless Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster): A Model for Disease Transmission