Faculty and seven students from IC took part in the meeting, presenting their research in a variety of scientific fields during the judged presentation sessions alongside representatives from other colleges and universities from across the state. 

Four students from Illinois College were awarded first place honors for their research and presentations in the categories listed: Megan Price ’21 (Anthropology and Archaeology), Charles Veith ’23 (Botany), Alexis Paskach ’22 (Chemistry) and Sam Killday ’21 (Environmental Science). Other participants from IC were Sunday Bobori ’21 (Chemistry), Molly Gearin ’21 (Botany) and Senaf Fayissa ’22 (Chemistry). 

Lawrence Zettler, Hitchcock Professor of Biology, said that every student who represented Illinois College at the event did an outstanding job under difficult circumstances. 

“Their work was even more noteworthy considering that they collected, presented and analyzed data during a difficult pandemic year,” he said. 

Veith, an ecology major and aspiring marine biologist, worked with Zettler on an ongoing research project centered on orchid conservation in the south Pacific with scientists at the Smithsonian Institution. 

Veith says they worked to grow the seeds of several different species of orchids from the archipelago Republic of Palau into adulthood, both with and without the symbiotic fungi they use as food. In addition to learning about the importance of orchids as an indicator of the health of the environment, he learned a wide range of transferable skills including how to gather, apply and present data. 

Biochemistry major Paskach learned similar lessons, though her research was very different. The junior collaborated with Jocelyn Lanorio, assistant professor of chemistry, throughout the summer and fall on a study of organic chemical reactions. Because the ability to work in-person in labs was limited this year, they completed the project using web-based research tools. 

“I learned a great deal about computational chemistry,” Paskach said. “This experience has also provided me with the opportunity to work on my presentation skills to present scientific information in an effective manner.” 

A senior, Killday partnered with Guy Sternberg, an adjunct faculty member who directs the Starhill Forest Arboretum. Together, they completed a survey of more than 500 trees at the arboretum that lays the groundwork for future student-faculty research. 

Killday will soon start a new role with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to complete a survey studying Emerald Ash Borer.

Price, a senior biology major who plans to attend medical school in the fall has been working on anthropology research in collaboration with Miranda Karban, assistant professor of biology, since the summer of 2018. She hopes to continue her work over the next few years. 

“I now have confidence in my abilities to conduct research that both piques my curiosity and answers real world problems,” she said.