May 15, 2020
Top presenters in the inaugural Virtual Student Scholars Symposium were announced on May 15.
Media Contact:
Heather Thorstensen
Manager of Communications
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society
hthorstensen@sigmaxi.org or (919) 549-4691 ext. 216
Students had fewer opportunities to present their research this spring because campus events and conferences were cancelled when stay-at-home orders began to control the spread of the new coronavirus. In response, Sigma Xi created a new event, the Virtual Student Scholars Symposium so that students could present their research projects.
Approximately 130 high school, undergraduate, and graduate students participated on May 14 from institutions across the United States as well as Canada, Turkey, Ghana, and the Philippines. Those in the oral presentation category presented slideshows while those in the poster presentation category spoke while sharing their research posters. All sessions were held via Zoom and 40 Sigma Xi members listened in as judges. Four members in particular helped make the symposium possible by serving on the organizing committee.
The symposium also included sessions to support students as they prepare for their careers. A panel discussion tackled questions about coping with the pandemic, a grant writing webinar provided tips for successful research grant applications, and Sigma Xi President and National Medal of Science recipient Geraldine Richmond shared experiences from her research career that taught her to expect the unexpected.
The awards announcement on May 15 named the following students as top presenters.
"You should be proud of the work you've done," Jamie Vernon, Sigma Xi Executive Director and CEO told the students after the announcement.
First place winners will receive $250.
Second place winners will receive $150.
Third place winners will receive $75.
All students will receive feedback from the judges.
Oral Presentations
High School Division
First Place
Julia M Kagiliery
The Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Agriculture, Soil, & Natural Resources
Second Place
Ashini Modi
Magnet High School
Physics & Astronomy
Third Place
Aishwarya Balaji
Enloe Magnet High School
Environmental Sciences
Undergraduate Division
First Place
Christina N Kozlovsky/Ava Bellizzi
University of San Diego
Engineering
Second Place
Miguel G Rodriguez Reyes
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
Microbiology & Molecular Biology
Third Place
Kaija Gahm
Yale University
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Graduate Division
First Place
Emily Pali
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Human Behavioral & Social Sciences
Second Place
Alfredo Valencia
Harvard University
Cell Biology & Biochemistry
Third Place
Charlotte Till
Arizona State University
Anthropology
Poster Presentations
High School Division
First Place
Jonathan Williams
Pine Crest School
Math & Computer Science
Second Place
Maya Hunter
Cherry Creek High School
Cell Biology & Biochemistry
Third Place
Jordan Harrow
Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Environmental Sciences
Undergraduate Division
First Place
Hanna D Kiryluk
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Physiology & Immunology
Second Place
Emily Costello
Saint Joseph's University
Microbiology & Molecular Biology
Third Place
Georgia Young
Duke University
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Graduate Division
First Place
Jordyn S Karliner
Thomas Jefferson University
Cell Biology & Biochemistry
Second Place
Angel Garces
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Cell Biology & Biochemistry
Third Place
James Fisher
University of Texas Medical Branch
Physiology & Immunology