August 20, 2018

Junior Andrew Ressler presents his chemistry research at the Landmark Conference Summer Research ... Junior Andrew Ressler presents his chemistry research at the Landmark Conference Summer Research Symposium.Twenty-three students and 12 faculty from Susquehanna University presented research at the 10th annual Landmark Conference Summer Research Symposium, held recently at Juniata College.

The symposium brings together undergraduate researchers from colleges and universities within the NCAA’s Division III Landmark Conference, which includes Susquehanna. Students presented the results of their summer research that was done in collaboration with faculty, in poster displays or oral presentation sessions.

“We have a long tradition at Susquehanna of providing our students with substantive research opportunities,” said Margaret Peeler, professor of biology at Susquehanna and one of several faculty mentors who attended the symposium. “Our students present their research at conferences all over the country and some go on to become published co-authors alongside their faculty advisors, which is an excellent opportunity when applying for graduate schools or jobs.”

Twenty-three students from Susquehanna presented their research at the day-long symposium:

  • Andrew Ressler, junior, of Selinsgrove, Pa., Synthesis and cupric ion reducing capacity of a mercapto-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative of thymol. Mentors: William Dougherty, assistant professor of chemistry, and Geneive Henry, professor and head of the Department of Chemistry.
  • Matthew Marshall, sophomore, of Scranton, Pa., Two Models for Bee Migration to New Hives. Mentor: Jeffrey Graham, associate professor of mathematics and computer science.
  • Haley Miller, senior, of Oxford, Pa., Impacts of Riparian Buffers: A Look into Pre and Post-Restoration. Mentor: Dan Ressler, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences.
  • Amy Green, sophomore, of Bridgeville, Del.; Holly Jones, sophomore, of Turbotville, Pa.; Sean O’Brien, senior, of Sellersville, Pa.; and Ashley Gehris, junior, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., What is the role of yes-associated protein (YAP) in the developing sea urchin embryo? Mentor: Margaret Peeler, professor of biology.
  • Larry Herrold Jr., senior, of Sunbury, Pa., Driving into Disaster: 1920s & 30s Auto Accidents on Trial. Mentor: Edward Slavishak, associate professor of history.
  • Jason Bonner, senior, of Winfield, Pa.; Connor Pelletier, senior, of Turbotville, Pa., Comparing the Effects of Multiple Adipogenic Differentiation Compounds on 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes. Mentor: Thomas Peeler, associate professor of biology.
  • Kaitlyn Gardineer, sophomore, of Walnutport, Pa., Collecting and Applying Tree Data to Forest Management Plan. Mentor: Dan Ressler, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences.
  • Samantha Schwarz, sophomore, of Bel Air, Md., An eye-tracker exploration of endpoint familiarity in the number placement task. Mentor: Jennifer Asmuth, associate professor of psychology.
  • Taylor Nattress, sophomore, of Blandon, Pa., Interrogating the Functions of the Histone H2A Repression Domain in Yeast. Mentor: Michael Parra, assistant professor of chemistry.
  • Brianna Watson, junior, of Plainsboro, N.J.; Nicole Grace, sophomore, of North Wales, Pa., Collaborative Translation of a French WWI Soldier’s Journal. Mentor: Lynn Palermo, associate professor of French.
  • Devon Sabo, senior, of Great Meadows, N.J., Synthesis and Characterization of N-diphenylphosphino amino acid ester Derivatives. Mentor: William Dougherty, assistant professor of chemistry.
  • Olivia Geesaman, senior, of Gettysburg, Pa., Identification of Functionally Important Residues in Histone H2A.Z. Mentor: Michael Parra, assistant professor of chemistry.
  • Sam Keller, senior, of Turbotville, Pa., Comparison of Embryonic Malformations After Fertilization with Thalidomide-Treated Sperm or Thalidomide Treatment in Culture. Mentor: Jan Reichard-Brown, associate professor of biology.
  • Rachel Daku, senior, of Selinsgrove, Pa.; Christina Rudderow, sophomore, of Blandon, Pa., Variability of Diatom Biofilm Communities in Green Gap, a Small Head Water Stream During the Summers of 2015-2018. Mentor: Jack Holt, professor of biology.
  • Kara Pytko, senior, of Minersville, Pa., Synthesis and characterization of non-aggregating water-soluble porphyrins to detect quadruplex DNA. Mentor: Swarna Basu, professor of chemistry.
  • Anna Mykytyn, junior, of Ellicott City, Md.; Matthew Dickson, junior, of Hanover, Pa., Investigating the pro-apoptotic effects of thujone and its ester derivatives on HeLa cells. Mentor: Pavithra Vivekanand, assistant professor of biology.