Several UALR students received awards for their original research at the IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Conference Nov. 7-14 in Fayetteville.

Eleven students from the University Science Scholars Program (USSP) and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) participated in the conference, presenting their research in the form of oral presentations or posters and competing with scholars from other universities across Arkansas.

Mary-Kate Williams, a senior biology major from North Little Rock, won first place in biology for her oral presentation, “Spore Persistence in the Environment Drives Infection Dynamics of a Butterfly Pathogen.”

She conducted her research during a National Science Foundation internship at the University of Georgia.

“I was instantly attracted to how such a small parasite could affect their population size and distribution,” she said. “I find this cycle fascinating and would like to continue research on environmental transmission of diseases on different organisms.”

Senior physics major Lafayette DeRamus III received second place in physics for his poster, “Determining Optical Characteristics for CIGS/CdS Solar Cells Through AFORS-HET Simulation Program.”

He worked with Dr.  Hye-won Seo in the UALR Department of Physics for his research.

“The INBRE conference was a great opportunity to network with scientists across Arkansas and confer about current research topics of interest. I love my research because of its relationship with nanotechnology, setting up a vision for the future,” he said.

Zachary Hicks won an honorable mention in chemistry for his poster, “Novel Carbon-Based Supercapacitor,” and Sam Shry won an honorable mention in biology for his poster, “Investigating Genetic Basis of Migratory Timing Using Circadian Clock Genes in Spring Chinook Salmon.”

Hicks was mentored by Dr. Tito Viswanathan in the UALR Department of Chemistry, and Shry had a NSF internship at Oregon State University.

Other UALR students participating in the conference included Autumn Brown, Osvaldo Cassio, Jeffrey Jones, Jeffrey Kerst, Taylor McClanahan, Divya Patel, and Xeniya Rudolf.