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Mercy undergraduate research students are celebrating their success as participants in the 2020 Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists (MACUB) annual conference. The MACUB conference hosts students majoring in biology and other STEM majors from educational institutions representing the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metropolitan region.

Several Mercy student research projects and posters were accepted into the conference, with two posters winning top awards. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the conference was held virtually, and students were required to adapt their presentations to an online format.

Posters that won awards at the MACUB conference include: “Do Native Gardens Mitigate Pollinator Decline,” by B��Ԫ student Bianca Jimenez ‘23 and Westchester Community College student Marisa Rodriguez and, “Analyzing How Plant Pathogens Interact with Host Defense Geneses Using Plant SimLab Models,” by B��Ԫ students LeeAnne Williams ’22 and Nataly Virgil ’22.

Williams and Virgil’s research project was conducted during the 2020 Summer STEM Research Academy. Part of the STEM Scholars program, the summer academy gives students the opportunity to work on authentic faculty research projects. The academy is held in collaboration with B��Ԫ and Westchester Community College as part of the HIS-STEM grant.

According to B��Ԫ Assistant Professor Dr. Devdutta Deb, Williams and Virgil’s faculty mentor, undergraduate research is critical for students. “They can learn to think critically, make their own hypothesis, develop research skills, learn to work in a team, present data to an audience and so much more,” she explained.

Rosabely Mota ’22 biology major and STEM Scholar at B��Ԫ, experienced the benefits described by Deb. While her poster, “Daily Interactions with Microbial Biofilms,” did not win an award at the conference, she found great value in conducting and presenting research. “Having an opportunity to present to students and professors from other institutions helped me feel more confident and added to my sense of belonging as a STEM student,” Mota said.

Beyond building confidence, B��Ԫ Chair of Natural Sciences and Associate Professor Dr. Irina Ellison describes how conducting research leads students to gain real-world experience and affords them a competitive advantage after graduation. “It’s invaluable for students to have an authentic research experience – it gives them a taste of what science feels like and builds their knowledge to be marketable,” she said. “Also, the experience motivates students and gives them a sense of purpose.”

B��Ԫ Assistant Professor Dr. Chun Zhou, faculty advisor and judge at this year’s MACUB conference, describes the conference as high quality and very beneficial for Mercy students to attend. While hosted virtually, students enjoyed the conference’s keynote speaker presentation and learning from their peers in a supportive environment.