Student AES Presenters
2022 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE BIOLOGY STUDENT PRESENTERS
Kai Miller: The Effects of Shade on Nonstructural Carbohydrate Content in Trees
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Stephani Symanowicz: Freshwater Turtle Nesting Patterns at Minto Brown Island Park, Salem, OR
Faculty sponsor: Gareth Hopkins
Kai Miller: Production and Usage of Nonstructural Carbohydrates in Woody Plants
Faculty sponsor: Feier Hou, Ava Howard
Sarah Russ: The Effect of Shade on the Anatomy and Growth of the Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana)
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Brooke Kline: Heat and Humidity and The Effects on Cucumber Plants
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Calvin Cade: Variation in Leaf Trichome Density of Oregon White Oaks Across Habitat Types
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard, Gareth Hopkins
Misha Pierce, Quinton Roan, Kaitlin Haley, Will Ollenbrook: Digitalizing the Biological Data Collection Process for Oregon’s Native Freshwater Turtles
Faculty sponsor: Lucas Cordova
Stephani Symanowicz: Effects of Salinity Stress from Deicing Salts on Brandywine Tomato Plants
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Madison Smith: Invasive Snapping Turtles in Oregon
Faculty sponsor: Gareth Hopkins
Madison Trussell: Pacific Tree Frog Bioacoustics
Faculty sponsor: Gareth Hopkins
2021 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE BIOLOGY STUDENT PRESENTERS
Shayla Solomon: The composition of aerial insect communities varies across habitats in an endangered oak ecosystem
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard, Gareth Hopkins, Jeff Snyder
Nichole Hernandez: Trichome Density and Distribution in Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak)
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
2020 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE BIOLOGY STUDENT PRESENTERS
Hannah Moshinsky: The Effects of Nitric Acid Rain on Sunflower Plants (Helianthus annuus)
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
2019 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE BIOLOGY STUDENT PRESENTERS
Kayla Baker: Why Art Matters in an Increasingly Analytical World
Faculty sponsor: Karen Haberman
Nicholas Wanderschied and Eva Batenhorst: The Effects of Population Density on Eclosion Rates and Size In Drosophila melanogaster
Faculty sponsors: Kristin Latham-Scott and Michael Baltzley
Tayler Tate and Isaac Manju: The Effect of Urban Evolution on White Clover (Trifolium repens) in Salem, Oregon
Faculty sponsors: Ava Howard and Gareth Hopkins
Liz Yijung Yoon: A Review of How Chemical Deicers Impact Aquatic and Terrestrial Species
Faculty sponsor: Gareth Hopkins
Grace Knapp and Sydney Thomas: The Behavioral Effects of Larval Density on Drosophila melanogaster
Faculty sponsors: Kristin Latham-Scott and Michael Baltzley
2018 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE BIOLOGY STUDENT PRESENTERS
Savannah Kumar: Bacterial Abundance and Resistance in Ground Beef Varieties
Faculty sponsor: Sarah Boomer
Karisa Merrill: Blindfolded for Science: An Integration of Dance as Therapy for Visually Impaired or Blind Individuals
Faculty sponsor: Karen Haberman
Chelsea Bitner: Physiological Effects of Disrupted Circadian Cycles in Geranium oreganum
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Nicholas Wanderschied, Maria Franco Ramos and Eva Batenhorst: The Effects of Larval Population Density and Social Interactions on Adult Fecundity in Drosophila melanogaster
Faculty sponsors: Kristin Latham-Scott and Michael Baltzley
Mekayla Malarkey: The Effects of Limited Root Space on Helianthus annuus
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Emily Gillett: Sandy Peas: Can Pisum sativum Survive in Sandy Soil
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
2017 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE BIOLOGY STUDENT PRESENTERS
Alexander Heenan: My Educational Experiences Studying Abroad on Board the SSV Robert C. Seamans
Faculty sponsors: Bryan Dutton and Misty Weitzel
Rachel Mendazona and Mariah McKechnie: Using Artificial Selection To Understand Directional Orientation Behavior In Drosophila
Faculty sponsors: Kristin Latham-Scott and Michael Baltzley
Kayla Baker: Emergence Theory in the Human Immune System
Faculty sponsors: Lars Soderlund
Chelsea Bitner: The Physiological Effects of Potassium, Phosphorus and Nitrogen Deficiencies in Zea maya and Fragaria ananassa
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Caitlin Castillo: Variation in GABA-Immunoreactive Neurons Across Three Stylommatomorpha Gastropods
Faculty sponsor: Michael Baltzley
Tyler Clardy: House-Hunting in Ecuadorian Hermit Crabs (Coenobita compressus): Factors Affecting Shell Selection
Faculty sponsor: Jeffrey Snyder
Tori Crumrine and Maria Franco Ramos: Using Artificial Selection to Understand Orientation Behavior in Drosophila
Faculty sponsors: Kristin Latham-Scott and Michael Baltzley
Faye Beth Gagnon: Insight Into the Immune System: Drosophila melanogaster vs. Pseudomonas fluorescens
Faculty sponsor: Kristin Latham-Scott
2016 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE BIOLOGY STUDENT PRESENTERS
Victoria Fliehr: Nest/Egg Temperatures in Relation to Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) Cygnet Survivorship in the Yellowstone Ecosystem
Faculty sponsor: Jeff Snyder
Stephanie Foster: The Effects of Drought Stress on Squash Plants
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Jacob Higgins: Campus Tree Project: An Inventory of Western Oregon University’s Grounds
Faculty sponsor: Bryan Dutton
Mariah McKechnie and Rachel Mendazona: Using Artificial Selection To Understand Directional Orientation Behavior in Drosophila
Faculty sponsor: Kristin Latham
Jenesa Ross: Nutrient Deficiency Treatments in Agricultural Plant Species
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Emma Signor: Invasive Characteristics of Geranium robertianum
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
Parker Smith: Everyone Poops, But What’s in it?
Faculty sponsor: Sarah Boomer
Sarah Thompson and Connor Osterberg: Fruit Flies Eat More Than Fruit: the Toxic Effects of Pseudomonas fluorescens
Faculty sponsors: Kristin Latham and Patricia Flatt
Stephanie Torrez and Natalie Wallace: Using Artificial Selection to Understand Orientation Behavior in Drosophila
Faculty sponsor: Kristin Latham
Marie Vaughn: Effect of Street Lamps on Two Species of Urban Street Trees
Faculty sponsor: Ava Howard
2015 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE BIOLOGY STUDENT PRESENTERS
Heather Hemmert: Determining the Predictors of Crawling Speed in the Snail Helix aspersa
Faculty sponsor: Mike Baltzley
Anusha Hoda and Kaylah Stevens: Characterizing the Distribution of GABAergic Neuons in the Nervous System of Terrestrial Gastropod
Faculty sponsor: Mike Baltzley
Ashley James: Photopoint Documentation of Vegetational Changes Following Invasive Plant Species Remediation at Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, Ore.
Faculty sponsor: Bryan Dutton
Makayla Kachlein: Maze Path Choice in Shrimp
Faculty sponsor: Erin Baumgartner
Han Nguyen: The Diversity of Bacteria in the Oral Cavity
Faculty sponsor: Sarah Boomer
Connor Osterberg: Effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens on Drosophila Larvae
Faculty sponsor: Kristin Latham
Adam Pettit: Serotonergic Polymorphisms Mediate a Weakened Response to SSRI Treatment: a Proposed Model
Faculty sponsor: Mike Baltzley
Aaron Romero: Pseudomonas fluorescens Ingestion by Drosophila melanogaster Larvae
Faculty sponsor: Kristin Latham
Kindra Smith: Streptomyces Growth in Different Forest Soil
Faculty sponsor: Sarah Boomer
Sarah Thompson: Drosophila Larvae Show Effects on Development and Survival after Ingestion of Pseudomonas fluorescens
Faculty sponsor: Kristin Latham
Sarah Thompson and Victoria Fliehr: Host-Specific and Non-Host-Specific Caterpillar Prey Choice
Faculty sponsor: Erin Baumgartner
Stephanie Torrez, Natalie Wallace, Taylor James, and Eli Zachary: Using Artificial Selection to Understand Orientation Behavior in Drosophila
Faculty sponsors: Kristin Latham and Mike Baltzley
Sadie Western: Wavelengths of Light and Photo-Response in Planaria
Faculty sponsor: Erin Baumgartner
2014 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE BIOLOGY STUDENT PRESENTERS
Brittney Caudill: Growth of Urban Trees in Response to Rainfall and Temperature
Faculty Sponsor: Ava Howard
Spicie Davis, Taylor James, and Eli Zachary: Directional preference in Drosophila
Faculty Sponsors: Kristin Latham and Michael Baltzley
Victoria Fliehr: Changes in Aquatic Macrophyte Abundance, Distribution, and Diversity at the Harriman
State Park of Idaho Trumpeter Swan Wintering Ground, 1988 – 2013
Faculty Sponsor: Jeff Snyder
Tyler Grindstaff: Effects of Shading on Zea mays (Corn)
Faculty Sponsor: Ava Howard
Alexandra Harding and Aquilegia Leet: The Street Tree Inventory Project
Faculty Sponsor: Bryan Dutton
Nicole Herrera: The Effect of Stream Size on Enteric and Pseudomonad Bacteria Concentrations
Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Boomer
Anusha Hoda: Intraspecies variability in GABA-immunoreactive neurons in the central nervous system of
Helix aspersa
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Baltzley
Max Kohen: Effects of Bacterial Metabolites on Fruit Fly Development
Faculty Sponsor: Kristin Latham
Kevin McCurdy: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Response to Hypoxic Stress
Faculty Sponsor: Ava Howard
Holy Meler: The Effects of UV-B Radiation on the Growth and Functionality of Kale (Brassica oleracea
Acephala)
Faculty Sponsor: Ava Howard
Adam Pettitt: Determining the Effects of Pseudomonas fluorescens on Drosophila melanogaster
Faculty Sponsor: Kristin Latham
Aaron Romero: Drosophila melanogaster development after ingestion of Pseudomonas fluorescens
bacterial strains
Faculty Sponsor: Kristin Latham
Joel Yost: Identification of GABA producing cells in the nervous system of Hirudo verbena
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Baltzley
