SMCC students present research at Thinking Matters 2024

Twelve SMCC students presented their high-quality research on various scientific subjects at the 2024 Thinking Matters symposium, an event hosted by the University of Southern Maine on April 19. This symposium allows students to share their work with each other, their colleagues, and the general public.

Daniel Moore, SMCC's Biological Sciences Department chair, said the event provides valuable student experience.

"We strongly believe that students in the Marine Science and Biotechnology programs must have the opportunity to attend scientific meetings and engage in scientific discussions," Moore emphasized. "Interacting with the general public and scientists from other institutions is a pivotal part of their learning, preparing them for real-world academic settings."

The students' Thinking Matters projects explored subjects ranging from pharmacogenomics, intestinal microbiome, and the power of Phange Therapy.

To view the SMCC poster presentations at Thinking Matters, please visit the SMCC Thinking Matters photo album on Flickr.

SMCC students who took part in Thinking Matters were:

• Solidago Adams - Modelling the Evolutionary Dynamics of a Complex Mating System in Flowering Plants
• Bekhruz Avganov - Acetaminophen pharmacogenomics
• Sam Cousins - Altruistic Microbes: The Role Abortive Infection Systems Play in Safeguarding Bacterial Communities
• Henry Fleury - Supergene Mimicry in Papilio polytes
• Lucas Girard - The Gut Microbiome: A Microbial View of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Jasmine King - Genetic Linkage Between Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in Mice
• Cortney Luce - Harnessing the Power of Phage Therapy
• Olive Lotus Luke - Influence of Gene Expression and Regulation on Bird Song
• May Pilch - Per3 Polymorphism and Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
• Adam Reichert - Degenerative Myopathy in German Shepherds
• Mardoqueu Wembo - Observing and Diagnosing down syndrome in chimps
• Valerie Tonigold - Comparing Ocean currents with primary productivity