CELS SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWS POSTER SYMPOSIUM

Poster NumberPresenter NameMajorPoster TitleMentor(s)
1Aden AlmeidaBiotechnology & MicrobiologyGenetically enhancing eastern oysters through selective breeding to combat diseaseDr. Proestou
2Rachel ArabianWildlife and Conservation Biology, Environmental Science and ManagementWater foraging preferences of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera)Dr. Steven Alm
3Haylee BalmeSustainable Agriculture & Food Systems, and Animal Science & TechnologyRestoring the American Chestnut Tree in Rhode Island: Developing Blight-Resistant Hybrids for Forest ResilienceDr. Laura Meyerson
4Nolan BaneverPlant SciencesTesting the heat tolerance of Broccoli varieties in Rhode IslandDr. Rebecca Brown
5Madison BoucherMarine BiologyEvaluating genetic factors in oyster disease resistance: A study of Dermo and MSX InfectionsDr. Dina Proestou
6Lou CabreraEnvironmental Science & ManagementPlant diagnostics: Developing protocols for sampling and diagnosis of prevalent tree pathogens in RIDr. Keiddy Urrea-Morawicki
7Celeste Calderon VargasBiotechnologyAssessing Abundance and Gender Distribution of Invasive European Green Crabs (Carcinus maenas) Compared to Native Crustaceans on Block IslandErin Mullen
8Kendra CarlisleMarine Biology, Wildlife and Conservation BiologySilver Lake Watershed AssessmentElizabeth Herron
9Andrew CasaleCell and Molecular BiologyDetermining the Effectiveness of Frozen Water Samples for Bacteria TestingElizabeth Herron
10Caleb CollinsEnvironmental Science & ManagementStorm Chasing: An analysis on how weather patterns affect beach cleanup effectiveness in Rhode IslandDr. Graham Forrester
11Fiona Dell’AntonioPlant Sciences, Wildlife and Conservation BiologySearching for Pollen Specialist Bees in Rhode IslandDr. Steven Alm
12Julia DeverLandscape ArchitectureThe Flower DistrictDr. Jane Buxton
13Astou DiengLandscape ArchitectureFlood Simulation Modeling of the Pawtuxet River in Cranston, RI Using HEC-RASDr. Soni M Pradhanang, Andreas Karma
14Molly DonnellanBiological SciencesEvaluating the Performance of Short-Read Data in Resolving Deep Metazoan DivergencesDr. Rachel Schwartz
15Daniel FloresCell and Molecular BiologyThe Beneficial Effects of Physical Activity on Academic Outcomes: Considerations for ADHDDr. Nicole Logan
16Kristen GoodrichWildlife and Conservation Biology, Animal Science and TechnologyBiocontrol of the invasive spotted wing drosophila using the parasitoid Ganaspis kimorumDr. Lisa Tewksbury, Lexi Johnson
17Elliott HaberWildlife and Conservation BiologyBiosurveillance of invasive Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) with Cerceris fumipennis waspsDr. Lisa Tewksbury, Lexi Johnson
18Brandon HowardLandscape ArchitectureURI Regnerative Community Design Lab – Charlestown Town HallDr. Jane Buxton, Stephanie Nordhoff
19Avery HurwitzEnvironmental Science & Management, Geology & Geological Oceanography (Water and Climate science)Pinpointing flood-prone areas in Providence, RI, using GISDr. Soni M Pradhanang, Pratik Singh Thakuri
20Meghan JeffreyBiotechnologyDigitization and Preservation of a Decades-Old Parasitology Slide CollectionDr. Niels-Viggo Hobbs
21Mia JenkinsLandscape ArchitectureURI Regnerative Community Design Lab – Cumberland, Elm StreetDr. Jane Buxton, Stephanie Nordhoff
22Luke JohnsonMarine BiologyDiving behavior and vertical habitat use of smooth hammerhead sharks off Long IslandDr. Brad Wetherbee
23Sharday JohnsonPlant SciencesTastes of Home: Evaluating African Vegetables for RIDr. Rebecca Brown
24Sophie KassiniMarine Biology; Marine AffairsUnited States ocean capacity: changes to environmental justice and educationDr. Yoshitaka Ota, Anna Zivian
25Ari LocklearWildlife and Conservation BiologyBiological control of invasive swallow-worts with Hypena opulentaDr. Lisa Tewksury, Lexi Johnson
26Elena LundMarine BiologyOcean equity through journalism: the MONA Fellowship projectErin Edmonds
27Aidan McCrillisCell and Molecular Biology, Data Science, ChemistryImproving PDG-Finder, a computational pipeline to identify plastic degrading genesDr. Ying Zhang
28Meredith MelansonWildlife and Conservation BiologyAnthropogenic Noise affects the Feeding of Juvenile Eastern OystersDr. Jonathan Puritz, Olivia Nieves, Dr. Coline Caillon, Cassandra Cerasia
29Audrey MichenerWildlife and Conservation BiologyMethane emissions in salt marshes: investigating the impacts of vegetation on greenhouse gas and nutrient cyclingMichael Norton, Serena Moseman-Valtierra
30Richard OkelolaWildlife and Conservation BiologyOcean Knowledge and Goverance Capacity LossDr. Yoshitaka Ota, Anna Zivian
31Jose Andre Orozco OrtizLandscape ArchitectureThe Flower DistrictDr. Jane Buxton
32Mason PalmerWildlife and Conservation BiologyTracking Rapid Expansion of the Invasive Longhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) in Rhode IslandDr. Thomas Mather
33Alexia PowellWildlife and Conservation BiologyEvaluating ecological impacts of post-emergent herbicides used to manage wetland invasive plantsJulia Fry Landstreet
34Kirsten QuayCell and Molecular Biology, MathematicsCharacterizing Probiotics and Pathogens in Bivalve LarvaeDr. Marta Gomez-Chiarri, Jaypee Samson
35Camila QuirogaNeuroscience, Cell and Molecular BiologyMapping the Corticospinal Tract in Neonatal Rabbit Model Using Pyramidal Tracer Injections to Better Understand Cerebral Palsy ​Dr. Marin Manuel, Dr. Katharina Quinlan
36Olivia ReiberMarine BiologyURI Watershed WatchElizabeth Herron
37Hadassah RigbyMarine Biology, Professional & Public WritingThe Effect of Marine Heatwaves on Eastern OystersDr. Jonathan Puritz, Olivia Nieves, Dr. Coline Caillon, Cassandra Cerasia
38Joshua RodriguezMarine Biology, Marine AffairsShifting Habitats: Survival Rates of the Three-Spotted DamselfishDr. Graham Forrester
39Carli RomanoMarine Affairs & Poltical ScienceAccessing The Coast: Addressing the Sufficiency of RI’s New Shoreline Access LawJesse Reiblich, Melva Trevino Pina
40Jonathan SalimenoBiotechnologyThe impact of feeding and feeding delay among larval eastern oystersAndrew Griffith, Dina Proestou
41Faye SantanielloWildlife Conservation Biology, Marine BiologyInsect pollinator diversity of great rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)Dr. Evan Preisser
42Margarita SavageBiotechnology, Cell and Molecular BiologyTracking genetic diversity trends of the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) across six years (2019-2024)Dr. T.J. McGreevy, Dr. Diana Beltrán
43Carissa ShermanCell and Molecular BiologyPotter Hill Dam Removal, Westerly RIDr. Soni Pradhanang
44Liliana TorresAnimal Science and Technologies, Wildlife and Conservation BiologyExotic Animal Endocrinology: Can we detect pregnancy in New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus trasitionalis) using hormones?Dr. Justin Richard
45Paloma TorresAnimal Science and TechnologiesBasement Biology Slides: Assessing Preservation and QualityDr. Niels-Vigo Hobbs
46Jason VereskoEnvironmental Science & ManagementChlorophyll and current speeds as potential food sources for mesophotic and deep-sea coralsDr. Andrew Davies, Philip Yang
47Emma VollucciBiology, AnthropologyThe Effect of Lyme spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi) in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) molting from the Larval to the Nymphal StageDr. Jannelle Couret
48Lizzie WelchMarine BiologyMarine invertebrates, water quality and greenhouse gasses: Salt marsh biochemistryDr. Serena Moseman-Valtierra, Micheal Norton